Fictional
by Creator of Hybrids
Summary: The mind is a great weapon if you can harness it. Problem is, when the government uses a creative teen for their projects, they never meant for their test subject to retaliate back after learning of her new found abilities. Joining up with the turtles, Vanessa plans on finding out more of this government project... A little better summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary:**

**Vanessa has lived in New York for almost three years under the care of her guardian's widow. After almost being mugged and fighting off the thugs with abilities not of her own, she learns that she was part of an ongoing project that tries to harness the power of the mind. In Vanessa's case, her consistent creativity. She meets the turtles and together, they try to solve the mystery to her family's disappearance and solve their own inner turmoils.**

Ana came home tired. School had been hard during these last few weeks before spring break. She threw her backpack to the side in her room and plopped done on her bed. When she turned her head to the side, there was a big cardboard box on her work desk that was meant for her. At first, Ana was going to ask her guardian who it was from but decided against it. Something in her gut said not to. The blond got up from bed, grabbed the box, and placed it in her lap. The package was for her definitely considering her nickname 'Rabbit Gurl' was on it. But what shocked Ana was the fact that it came from her older sister, who she hadn't talked to in months.

She opened the box quickly. Inside was her older sister's sketchbooks, rough drafts for possible stories, favorite comics, a large canvas wrapped in newspaper, and a flash drive with a note on it. Ana picked up the flash drive and read the note.

**Watch this after you've opened up the canvas.**

**On the flash drive are some things you need to know...**

**~Your older sister~**

The note was a little puzzling but the blond followed the instructions nonetheless. She spent no time ripping the newspaper to come face to face with a picture of their family. You could see the pencil under the smooth paint that decorated the canvas. The only thing that could've been better about the picture was everyone's age.

"Small mistake." Ana said to herself.

The last time she saw her older sister, they were all younger. So that's how everyone look, aside from the parents. It was a good painting. Ana cleared everything off her lap and look for a home for the canvas on the wall. If her guardians say anything against it, they could burn in Hell for all she cared. After the canvas was up, Ana grabbed the flash drive and plugged it into her computer. It took a while to load but it came up eventually. She clicked on the file that said watch now. It was a video file. The moment Ana opened it, the screen went black.

"Agh, that's just great!" She protested. "That jump drive had a virus on it."

Not too long after, the screen changed to an image of her sister, who looked very different from the last time Ana had seen her. There was a more mature air around her. But there was something hiding in her hazel green eyes. Ana couldn't believe how much older she looked.

"_Before I start, if your computer glitched out temporarily,_" She started, a small wry smile on her lips. "_Not my fault your computer sucks ass. If the video started out with no problems, then never mind._" Her smile faded and an expression of regret and sorrow filled her face. "_You're probably wondering why I haven't talked to you or Jack in a while. And there's a reason for that._

"_As you already know, our parents disappeared without a single trace and the people who took us in moved to New York. When they couldn't support the entire family, they had to cut one of us loose. And since they never liked me, I got sent to a new home. You already knew that. What you didn't know is that my guardian got married not too long after and then died a year later from a brain tumor._" There was a long pause as Ana's older sister sighed loudly.

Ana never heard about this at all. And the organization in charge of their foster homes would've said something.

"_I've been in the care of his widow since. And lemme tell ya, the bitch's been trying to control my life since. She's lucky I like the certain things she hasn't banned me from. Most of them anyway._" The smile returned to her face before fading away. "_Things kinda got crazy not too long before my 15 birthday. Like I told you, I've been wanting to get a job so I could get enough money for certain things for all of us. And I told you I got one at an antique store._"

"Yeah, I remember that." Ana said to herself, getting bored with the video. "Anything new? Like your absence?"

"_Now here's where I drop the bomb on you. My guardian never knew about the job. She never knew that I had dropped out of school either. And there are reasons for that too. But it isn't important now._"

"Wait, what?!" She nearly fell out of her chair. "You said you finally got new friends and joined a few clubs."

"_I bet you're thinking about those lies I told you._" She said with a mischievous smile. "_Well the friends part is true. You know what? Fuck it. Here's the whole story. I'll start from when I got the job without consent from that controlling bitch. And I'm saying now that I'm not lying about the parts that seem... How do I say this?_" She muttered softly to herself. "_Out of context or imaginative. So sit back and enjoy the show._"

...

Vanessa looked at the store sign for a while before walking in. She was extremely nervous. She always did before things like this. After getting kicked out of school for not paying attention, drawing too much, and failing nearly every class except those that involved some ounce of creativity, the young teen decided to get a job. But finding the right one proved to be difficult.

_**I never really understood how much of an asshole people could be sometimes until I started looking for a job. Took me forever to actually talk to them and when they did... It's best not to know all the details. Let's just say they tried to hit on me, or actually hit me. Thankfully, the job I got was nice, quiet, and not so frickin' busy during store hours.**_

Inside was a red head with her hair in a messy bun, reading something behind the cashier. She seemed nice and sweet. But if Vanessa learned anything from living in New York for almost three years, it's that people weren't what they seemed like. The red head looked up from whatever she was reading at the sound of the store bell and smiled. It gave the teen a little more courage but she never really liked talking to some strangers. Thugs were another story entirely.

"Hi, what can I help you with?" She asked, smiling warmly.

"I'm looking for a job." Vanessa managed to say. "Are you hiring?"

"Sorry, what d'you say? I couldn't hear you." She asked nicely. The teen sighed and came closer.

"I'm looking for a job. Are you hiring?"

"Oh, um..." She paused and thought hard on it. The look on her face melted away all of Vanessa's hopes for this place. "People don't come here a lot and when they do, they like to buy a lot. Things will be quiet for the most part but I wasn't looking for helpers."

_**The way she made it sound like seemed as if she wasn't hiring. But a part of me knew that she was thinking. I was still scared shitless on what she would say. And is it bad for me to say that I hoped she would keep thinking so I could warm my ass up? 'Cause it was freezing that day.**_

"Okay, I see." Vanessa sighed in sad acknowledgment. "I'll find a job somewhere else."

"I didn't say I wouldn't hire you." The red head said quickly. "I just didn't think anyone would actually want to work here."

"Well if it helps, I would. It's a quiet place and it's amazing what you could learn from antique shops. Each and every thing you're selling has it's own story." A short burst of energy soared through her as she continued. "It's a great job to anyone who's interested in these kinds of things."

"And are you?"

"It really depends on my mood sometimes. But usually, it's interesting the stories everything has."

"You are right about that." The red head smiled before sticking out her hand. "I'm April, you're new boss."

"You're hiring me?" Vanessa tried to hide your surprise and excitement as best as she could.

"You're a sweet kid. And something tells me you need this job." April said. The teen shook her hand and smiled big, not really able to hide her excitement anymore.

"Thank you thank you thank thank you! This means so much to me!"

_**Little did I know that working at that shop wasn't going to be quiet as I thought. The pay **_**was****_ good and April was very sweet. Her night time visitors were the start of an adventure I wasn't expecting. Yet a part of me was prepared._**

...

Few days later...

"Sheesh! Why are you so upset?" Vanessa made a face, although her sister wouldn't be able to see it. "He was a dick to begin with. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this though."

"_You don't know what your talking about, Vanessa!_" Screamed an angry girl over the phone. "_I loved him!_"

"That's funny because isn't that what you said about the last guy?" There was a loud banging noise on the other end of the line. "Lemme rephrase that. You guys were a great couple but he had to move to Vegas. And didn't you find out he got another girlfriend while trying to have a long distance relationship?"

"_Coming from the chick who hasn't ever been asked out or even had her first kiss. And he broke up with me before that._"

"Keep telling yourself that." The elder sister rolled her eyes. "So how's the munchkin?"

"_Besides getting himself into small trouble, he's doing good_."

"'Nd how are those a-holes who are raising you? They have enough money to keep you both right?"

"_Very funny_." The sarcasm in her voice was very apparent. "_And we're doing fine. Better than fine actually. Mom and Dad plan on moving to the suburbs soon from the crazy raise Dad got at work._"

"Why do you call them that?" Vanessa asked in irritation and anger.

"_You need to let it go. They've been great to us before they had to give you up. And besides, it's not like they tried to cut off all communication with you and allowed us the monthly visits to the park with each other._"

"_Parents_ don't cut off the kid they really don't like." She hissed. "They try to keep all of them as best as they can." She heard her sister sigh on the other end of the line.

"_I see no point in trying to convince you otherwise. So how's it over there? In the bad district of New York?_"

"I'm amazed I haven't been mugged by Purple Dragons." She mused when she caught what time it was and went into full panic mode. "Shit! I'm late!"

"_Late for wha-_"

"I'll call you later. I really have to go. Bye, Rabbit Girl."

_**I'm sorry for when I hung up on you like that. We really never talk to each other as much as before. And it grew less and less since that time. In truth, I was running late and had to run to work. April understood when I told her the scenario. But she also said not to use the excuse too much. Good thing I'm honest most of the time, eh?**_

"I'm really sorry, April." Vanessa apologized for who knows what time. "I lost track of time."

"You really don't need to keep apologizing, Vanessa." April smiled. "Family is very important to us and being able to spend time with them is everything. Heh, I sound like Splinter."

"Who?" Vanessa made a weird face.

"Just a friend of mine. If you ever meet him, you'd like him."

"That's if I do meet him." The teen tied her long brown hair back and began going through the new arrivals. "You keep talking about some of your friends but you never bring them in. Either they're shy or they aren't in the country."

"No, they're in New York." April said quickly. "They're just shy, that's all. And they aren't really used to strangers. Or well, strangers aren't used to them."

The red head joined her new employee in taking out the new wares and placing them in certain groups.

"Ha! That's a funny way of putting it." Vanessa grabbed an odd looking weapon and held in her hands. "Whoa, this looks cool."

"Oh, that's a spear that came from an African tribe." The re head informed, placing a delicate vase on one of the top shelves. "There should be a matching shield."

"I swear I've used this kind of spear in my head before." Vanessa said to herself yet April heard.

"How does that work out?"

_**I wasn't sure how to explain it to her. Hell, even I had trouble explaining it to you and Jack. The best way I could put it now is that it's like watching a movie in your head with the things you prefer and are able to create your mind alone. Whatever you want to happen, it happens. And the spear I saw was like the one I've used in my head during a battle scenes between my creatures. And I thought it was original.**_

"It's difficult for me to explain." Vanessa shrugged, placing the spear inside a glass box. "It's kinda like one of those things you should just... I don't know. Like it's something you already know."

"I think I get what you mean." She smiled.

April had been easy on the teen since she met her. The red head's intuition told her that there was more going on with this girl inside than she would reveal. And then the store bell rang. Both woman looked to see a muscular, and obvious sports fan walk in. To Vanessa, she thought it was just some weird guy who happened to appreciate old stuff and like sports at the same time. To April, it was a friend she wished she had more patience with.

"Hey, babe!" He shouted, waltzing in like the two were great friends. "How's it goin'?"

"I was just unpacking some new arrivals." She said, her tolerance a little extended with the newcomer. "I don't need your help, thank you." She was quick to say.

"Who's the kid?" He pointed to Vanessa, who flinched back a little. She was never one for attention.

"My newest employee." April said. "She'll be helping me out around the store from now on."

"What about me or the guys?" He asked. "Don't you need your strong men to help with the heavy things?"

"I barely know you and I already think you're full of it." Vanessa said with a blank expression before going back to unpacking, trying not to laugh at the man's face.

"Wha- did you just hear that?" He said to April, who nodded her head in agreement.

"I couldn't agree more with her, Casey." The red head smiled. "She's right on target."

"By the way, name's Vanessa." The teen introduced herself. "I'm still new so don't expect much from me."

Casey gave April a questioning look before asking to talk to her in private. April told the teen to continue unpacking the wares. Temptation made Vanessa want to hear what they were talking about but decided against it. Meanwhile, outside the shop and in the alley, April and Casey were talking.

"Have you told the turtles about her yet?" Casey asked.

"No." April sighed and shook her head. "But Vanessa kind of already knows about them. Not the mutant part though."

"How long has she been working here?"

"Only a few days."

"Well if you want, I could tell the guys right now." He offered. "I was on my way to see them anyway. I just felt like stopping by."

"That's sweet of you, Casey. I guess you can. Just make sure they stop by later so I can explain further."

"Sounds like a plan." He said with his goofy smile. He walked over to the manhole nearby and lifted up the metal cover

"Oh and Casey?" April called out as he started climbing down. "Don't call me 'babe'."

...

There was only a few minutes left before Vanessa could leave for home. But April let her go home early since it was already around 8 at night. _I really need to get this chick something_. Vanessa thought to herself as she grabbed her stuff.

"Be careful walking home." April warned. "Those Purple Dragons have been out more than they should in these areas."

"This _is_ there turf, isn't it?" The teen assumed. "Or is there some other gang?"

"Hehe, I wouldn't call them a gang." April mused to herself. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, April."

The night was cool as the snow fell softly from the sky. The moon was out, lighting up the ground. Vanessa pulled her coat closer to her body. Even after being here for nearly three years, she still wasn't used to the cold. She wasn't even used to seeing tall buildings or ports or any of the sights of New York. She longed to see the clear ocean again. To see the large mountain that made up her island. Lost in thought, she didn't notice the group of thugs trailing her. She tore herself from her memories and looked in front of her to see some dark figures blocking her path. She growled in annoyance and turned around to try a different route. Only to run into one of the thugs trailing her.

"Hey, sweetie." Breathed the thug, his stink breath filling Vanessa's nose. "Kinda dangerous to be walking 'round these parts alone."

"Fuck off." She growled, trying to get away. But she was circled by thugs from the same gang. The Purple Dragons.

"Did you hear that, Razor?" Laughed one of the thugs. "This girl's gotta mouth on her."

"Wonder what else she's got on her."

"Bet she's got a nice package underneath those clothes."

"Let's see what cash she has before we have our fun."

_**Despite how scared I was and the panic that was increasing rapidly, a cool yet dark calm came over me. New energy, not the type you would get when you get scared or are full adrenaline, filled me. Now from here it gets a little graphic but I know you can handle. I'm saying now that because of that night, I changed a lot.**_

Vanessa balled up her fists and lowered her head so they couldn't see her eyes behind her hair. A new feeling of power coursed through her body. She wasn't sure if this is true fear or a last stand. But she wasn't going to get herself pushed around by these assholes.

"I said fuck off." She said harshly, power backing up her threat.

"Oh? And who are you to-" The lead thug never got to finish what he said as quick flash of silver cut through the hair over his shoulders.

He began laughing as if it was some sort of cheap shot until his head fell off clean from his shoulders. In the teen's hands was something you wouldn't see in real life but in the afterlife. In the hands of your Harbinger. An over sized scythe balanced over Vanessa shoulders. Underneath her fallen hair was a sinister and ruthless look in her eyes. And it was not a look of hers but her own fictional creation.

"Who's next?" She growled. "I don't have all night."

**A/n: And there's the first chapter. More to come depending on how well this chapter does. No turtles in here for reasons. Wanted to introduce the main character and set the mood for the story. **

**'Nd something you should know is that I'm sorta making these characters after real people in my life. Actually, the main character is based off of me. Literally. If you don't like, not my problem.**

**Review so I know where to improve or see what you guys think.**


	2. Chapter 2

The scythe was light in her hands as she cut down the thugs with ease. They put up no resistance. It's not like they could. Drops of blade danced on the blade as the exploded from each gash and large cut. From the rooftops watched a dark figure dressed in a long black trench coat, observing. Vanessa was unaware of this as the persona she created took control and slayed her once attackers. When the last man was down, cut into multiple pieces, she smiled at the picture before her. Bodies strewn everywhere. Blood pools growing larger. The smell of raw flesh filling the air slowly. It was then that she snapped back to reality and looked in horror at what she had just done. The scythe disappeared and so did the demonic persona.

She didn't think this would happen. At the most random time, thoughts of a character she had come up with flowed through her mind and flashes of images of that single character killing these thugs became reality. Vanessa did her best not to collapse to the ground and empty her stomach's contents. What _was_ she supposed to do? Tell the cops she just murdered a whole group of thugs who were probably going to do the same to her? Go crying to her guardian who would think she was crazy and sent her to a psycho ward?

_**I had absolutely no idea what do do at that time. I didn't even know what I just did. And considering all the options before me, I ran to the person I barely even knew. Just to get away. And I'm kinda glad I did.**_

April had just finished making herself dinner and some extra food in case her sewer friends were hungry when she heard someone banging on the shop door. Washing her hands quickly and grabbing a bat that she kept around nowadays, she went down to her shop and headed towards the door cautiously.

"April!" Shouted a voice she knew. "Open the fucking door!"

Thinking her new employee was in trouble or something, April opened the door in no less that a second. Vanessa ran into the red head and wrapped her arms around her mid section, crying her eyes out. April looked outside as best as she could and didn't see anyone who would cause trouble. She closed the door and threw the bat down. When the red head looked down at the teen, she saw blood in her hair and on her skin.

"What happened?" She asked, guiding the girl to a bathroom to wash her up.

"I-I-I don't know!" She struggled to say without sobbing. "They came and- and..."

"You have blood all over you!" April exclaimed as they reached the bathroom. Vanessa's shirt was beyond saving with the amount of blood stained into it, as were the pants. Yet as far as she could tell, there wasn't any cuts on her. "Were they killing other people in front of you or- You look like you were in a blood bath!"

"April?" Called out who the red head knew was Leo.

"Dammit!" April cursed. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

The red head rushed out of the bathroom and left only a small crack open before greeting her other guests. The turtles were all gathered in the kitchen, already digging in the food April made them. Raph and Mikey were sitting at the table while Don was just entering the house through the window. Leo was standing and gave his human friend a smile when he saw the faint blood stain that go on her shirt.

"Are you hurt April?" He asked, concerned. April looked down at her clothes and cursed to herself again.

"No, but something happened with my new employee." April tried to not get into detail, knowing Vanessa could probably hear everything.

"Yeah, Casey told us you hired some kid who was looking for a job." Raph said, taking a bite of the food in front of him.

"Is she hurt?" Don asked, already entering doctor mode.

"I don't see any injury on her." April explained. "It doesn't look like its her blood. But she's really traumatized."

"How traumatized?"

"I-I don't know." April shrugged. Then she heard someone start the shower.

"Well she seems fine enough if she's taking a shower." Raph snickered.

"Was she shaking uncontrollably, April?" Don asked.

"Not really actually. She was crying but I guess that would be expect from that much blood. And she was scared."

"Hm." The brainy turtle pondered and thought hard on it. "She'll be fine but you may wanna keep her here for a few days to keep a better eye on her."

"She has a guardian who probably is worried sick about her now."

"Then maybe we could keep an eye on her." Mikey suggested and got a quick slap upside the head from his brother.

"Bad Mikey." Raph scolded. "Do we look like a buncha stalkers?"

While the five discussed plans and April explained to them the situation with Vanessa, the teen was in the shower, trying to wash the blood away. She was still trying to comprehend what had happened. The cold water bit at her skin as it gradually warmed up. Once all the blood was gone, she turned off the water and hopped out the shower. She could still hear April talking with her friends and decided to wait in the bathroom. After a few minutes, Vanessa started eavesdropping.

"So we can't come over as long as she's here?" One voice whined.

"Mikey, we can't show ourselves to _everyone _we meet." Scolded another. "And this girl has probably had enough happen to her."

"Yeah because the entire Purple Dragons, Foot ninjas, and selective amount of humans is already enough." Said one with a thick Brooklyn accent.

"You guys decide on what to do." April said. "It's not my decision. I'm going to go check on her."

Vanessa backed away from the door and acted like she was thinking. When April came in, the teen looked at her with questioning eyes.

"You okay?" She asked.

"I'm better than before." Vanessa replied. "Are those you're shy friends?"

"Yeah, I was telling them about you." She smiled. "Do you want some clothes? I'm sure you don't want to go wearing a towel around."

"That'd be nice. My clothes are way past saving." She pointed to the piles of blood stained clothes in the corner. "Better burn them. Wouldn't want them to be found by police if they came asking around."

"What do you mean by that? Let's get you dressed first."

_**I wasn't sure if I should even tell April at the time. But what other options did I have? And something in my gut told me to talk to her about it. As for the clothes covered in blood, they were the ones given to me by Mom before she disappeared. So burning them was like erasing that memory of her. But they were stained by blood so I had no choice.**_

The clothes April gave to Vanessa fit fine, despite being a little big on her. They were in the red head's room, the owner waiting patiently for the teen to find the right words. What could she say? That some dark, demented and demonic persona she made up had taken control and slaughter a bunch of people who tried to rape and mug her? Thinking about it, it sounded very far fetched.

"I know you should take your time but I can't exactly leave my friends waiting." April said finally. "I'll come back in a little bit but I'm going to-"

"I killed them all." Vanessa said flatly and void of emotion.

"What?"

"They were trying to mug me and I acted." There was a slight pause before she continued. "I wasn't far from your store when they started stalking me. I told them to fuck off and they didn't. And that feeling that your gonna die came over me but then something happened. Then I killed them all."

"So that _wasn't_ your blood?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"It was a bloodbath. They had no chance against the scythe."

"Scythe?" Mikey repeated silently behind the door. The turtle had been eavesdropping the entire time and were just as confused as April.

"What scythe?" April asked, getting very concerned now.

"The one from my mind." She sighed and stood up. "If you don't believe me, I don't expect you to. Hell, _I_ don't even believe it myself! It just happened."

"Whoa, calm down." April grabbed the teen by the shoulders and forced her to sit down. "You're freaking yourself out."

"I'm not freaking out! I'm going crazy! I killed all those people and I don't even know how! What the fuck do think I'm going through? I have never done anything like that before!"

"Calm down, Vanessa!" April yelled. "I'll ask my friends if they can look into this. I doubt the police have even looked into this."

"Shit! The cops! They'll find me."

"This girl has lost it." Raph snickered to his brothers but it was loud enough for Vanessa to hear.

"Who was that?" She stopped immediately and looked towards the door. "They aren't gonna tell on me, are they?"

"No! They aren't like that." April reassured. "Look, I'll go talk to them. I'll be right back."

She left the room and opened the door to see four sneaky turtles crouched behind it. And they somewhat cowered in fear against her glare.

"Hey, April." Mikey said, waving a nervous hand.

"Go." She pointed to down the stairs.

The turtles hurried down the stairs quickly and the red head trailed after them. Vanessa remained in the room and began plotting multiple ideas of her next actions but kept getting distracted by the fictional characters of her mind and the stories to go along with them. She got frustrated, shook her head, and pounded it in frustration.

"Think! Dammit, THINK!" She said to herself.

"Don't hit your head too hard, _Artifex_." Said a voice from behind. Vanessa whipped around to see a lanky man in his late teens sitting on the window stile in the room. "You'll get a headache."

"Who the hell are you?" She asked, jumping from the bed and backing up.

"My label is _Biblicus_, and you are _Artifex_." He smiled a little before standing up straight and walking over to her. He took only three long strides to reach her. He placed a hand under her chin and lifted her head up to his eye. "But you can call me Licus, Artie."

"Get the fuck away from me." She growled, though she didn't have that same feel as before. This guy was different.

"Or what? You had only just discovered your abilities no less than two hours ago. I've mastered mine for several years now." He bore into her eyes. "But I pose you no threat."

"What do you want? I have enough shit happening to me as it is."

"Touchy." He pulled his hand away and backed up. "Since you've just unlocked what they wanted you to, the government will be after you. They'll want one of there experiments soon after showing signs of working."

"Wait, what?"

"You're part of a program funded by the government harnessing the power of the mind." He explained, pacing the room slowly like a lion. "They mostly use children that they find potential in, like us. They split it into different fractions, creativity being the most powerful. You're a part of that fraction."

"So is that how I killed those thugs?" Vanessa asked, checking if April was coming.

"Yes. You used your own creativity as a weapon. And it worked perfectly." He came back over to the teen and grabbed her chin gently. "We are all unique and powerful but you stand out in a way. The government didn't find you until much later than they would've liked since you lived on that island. And when they did, there was so much raw potential for them to mold. But don't worry," He came a little too close for comfort. "They don't know yet so you have time to retaliate."

The distinctive noise of someone walking up the stairs split through the tension. Licus groaned in annoyance and placed a quick kiss on Vanessa's lips.

"We'll talk later." He smiled before taking off.

Vanessa stood there, totally lost for words and unable to move. April came in as the teen still stood there with a dumb look on her face. The red head poked in the arm and didn't get a response.

"Hello?" She waved her hand in front of the teen's face. "Earth to Vanessa."

"Huh? What?" She snapped back to reality. "Oh, sorry. I was spazing."

"You okay?" April asked.

"I think I just need to sleep it all off." She said, yawning out of nowhere. "Can I stay the night or no?"

"You can stay the night but you should call your guardian-"

"Not gonna even think about that evil bitch." She growled.

"That was very rude of you!" April scolded. "She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment from you."

"Wait til you meet her." She replied. "So I guess I'll sleep in the living room."

"I'll get you some blankets. It's cold tonight."

It was a long time before she actually fell asleep. A lot has happened tonight. First killing those thugs, then that on guy Licus came and told her all that stuff before kissing her. What is gonna happen? April's friends are some weird mutants or aliens? HA! Wouldn't that be a hoot?

_**A/n: Just so you guys know, those weird names are actually Latin words. And here are the turtles! Thought they don't meet Vanessa yet. That comes soon. More to come. Predninja out!**_


	3. Chapter 3

The turtles ran across the roofs and followed the sound of sirens. April had asked them to look into whatever her young employee was going on about and they accepted. Course it wasn't hard to find out where she ran from as the EMTs were already at the scene. And there was a lot of blood.

"Geez, she wasn't kidding when she said it was a bloodbath." Raph chuckled nervously as he watched the officials cleanup the body parts.

"Definitely not with a small hand knife." Don blinked his eyes multiple times to hold back his sudden nausea.

"I'm gonna sit down." Mikey tried to say without trying to throw up. "_Away_ from the body parts and blood."

"Wuss." Raph snickered. He looked back and suppressed a shudder.

"So that girl wasn't kidding when she said she killed them all." Leo said with an odd look. "We should tell April 'bout this."

"Right after we a nice glass of water." Don said, getting away from the edge of the roof. "I feel like throwing up right now."

"Am I the only one not getting sick by this?" Raph exclaimed.

April woke the next morning from someone talking on the phone. Loudly. She crawled out of bed to see her young employee speaking on the phone, her volume increasing as she spoke on the phone.

"Well I'm sorry I didn't call, Auntie!" She shouted into the phone. April hid behind the wall, barely peeking out, so the teen wouldn't see. "Look! I freaked out. I ran to a friend's house. After seeing all that, I panicked and ran to the nearest safe house." There was a small pause before she exploded again. "Oh, I don't know. You aren't exactly such a nice person in case you forgot. Wait! That's right. You're the fucking witch from the fucking east. No duh I'm going to run to a friends!"

Only a bad parent would get that kind of treatment from their child. And this was a guardian so it wasn't as bad but still. They should at least try to be the best parent they can. But not everyone thought that way as Vanessa continued to argue with her guardian.

"You know what I'm not having this argument with you. I'm hanging up."

April could hear someone shout over the line but Vanessa hung up on them. When the phone disconnected and she went into a flurry of emotions. After a while she calmed down, having screamed her lungs out.

"Are you alright, Vanessa?" The teen flinched at the sound of April's voice.

"Fine!" She said quickly. "I'm fine. Just... I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah, you did. Was that your aunt?"

"If I woke you up with my shouting, then yes. It was."

_**Garnet Petrude. I absolutely hate that woman's guts. More so now than ever. So of course I'm going to talk her like how she treats me. Like trash. April didn't really get it because she didn't know the woman at the time. And she was yelling at me that day because I had supposedly slept in at a friend's and missed school. It's not like I was attending anyway.**_

"April?" Asked a voice Vanessa remembered from last night.

"I'll be there in a minute, Leo!" The red head called out. "Um... look, I gotta see what they want and I'll be back."

"Can I meet 'em?" Vanessa asked hopefully.

"Uh..." She thought on it before starting to the direction on her friend's voice. "I'll talk with them about it."

"Are they_ that_ shy?"

"It's complicated." Was all April said.

Vanessa shrugged and didn't press any further before sitting on the couch and grabbing a book. In the kitchen, April found her sewer friends speaking amongst each other, disturbed from something. They stopped talking when they saw April.

"I do have a shell-cell, ya know." April smirked.

"Sorry we didn't call and say we were coming over." Leo apologized. "We would've come last night but we talked with master Splinter about things."

"What kind of things?"

"It's nothing for you to be concerned of, April." Raph waved a hand in a dismissive fashion. "But we get to show her ourselves."

"Already see you guys." Said the teen, who was leaning against the wall to the kitchen. Everyone in the room froze and looked to each other a few times as Vanessa just looked at them in amazement. "And I was thinking last night on how you guys were aliens or something from all the secrecy."

"Hey! We ain't aliens, kid." Raph shouted, nearly getting out of his seat.

"Why are you callin' me 'kid'? You guys don't really look that much older than me." She shot back. _Girl's got a mouth on her_. Leo thought.

"So much for breaking it easy to you." Don sighed. "We're the teenage mutant ninja turtles. I'm Donatello." He introduced himself.

"Raphael." Said the red-banded turtle, not giving her a second look.

"I'm Michelangello!" Mikey said with glee, excited for making another friend.

"And I'm Leonardo." Leo dipped his head slightly.

"Well I'm Vanessa and I'm having a hard time not panicking but since enough's already happened," She forced out a laugh. "This is just wonderful." She muttered to herself, walking out the room. "This is just great!"

"And she's gonna start screaming." Don assumed but was surprised to hear a loud thumping noise as the teen banged her head against the wall.

"And you were proven wrong, genius." Mikey teased.

"I'm losing it." She rested her head against the wall and laughed to herself. "Next thing I know, frickin' Ark or Suites comes to life and start kicking ass. Ha! Won't that be fun?"

"She's speaking gibberish, Don." Raph snickered. "Use that big head of yours."

"Vanessa, you need to calm down." April said, pulling the teen away from the wall and to a chair in the kitchen. "They're very real. And who's Ark?"

"None of your concern." She slammed her head on the table. "Just some demon knight chick I came up with that works with the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." She waved her hand in the air for April to shoo. "Nothing more."

"Um, okay?" Leo was unsure of what else to say. The kid was losing it! "I assure you, we're real. Not figments of your imagination."

"Do I look like I make shit up?" She lifted her head off the table quickly and stared daggers at him before thinking about her question. "Wait, don't answer that."

"Nope. Too late." Raph grinned. "You're crazy."

_**Raphael was an asshole at times but hey, we turned out to be good friends. We just were at each others throats most of the time. And I'm not lying about how they look. They were really giant walking, talking turtles. I just didn't comprehend their beings the right way by my standards. Hehe, I remember the headache I got after all that head banging.**_

"And you're an asshole." Vanessa replied smugly, shifting her attention to him.

"Aw! Look." Mikey teased. "Raph made a new friend."

"I'd rather be friends with an alien with a big temper that hunts anything that poses sport." Vanessa stuck her tongue at Raph, who scowled in reply.

"Yep." Don agreed with his younger brother. "This is the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Who's the angry alien?" Mikey asked Vanessa, who gave him a curious look.

"Do you read comics?"

"Oh great!" Raph exclaimed, getting out of his chair. "We got another Mikey."

"I think we should get back on topic." Leo cut in. "The EMTs got to the scene before we could investigate." The room feel silent and the teen shifted in her seat. "But from the look of it, you definitely did not use a hand knife."

"Because those things couldn't tear up those Purple Dragons like that." Don added, feeling sick already. Vanessa tapped her fingers on the table, eyes shifting from place to place.

"Was it that bad?" She asked, not giving anyone eye contact.

"Yeah but don't beat yourself up about it." Leo assured. "You were defending yourself and didn't know what you were doing."

"Because it wasn't exactly... nevermind." She looked down to the ground.

"But this has never happened to you before, right?" Don asked, trying to piece it all together.

"No. Other shit's happened but not that kind of stuff. Normal, personal, stuff."

"So you just magically butchered up a buncha Purple Dragons on the whim of you hand?" Raph snorted.

"I don't think it was that but... I don't know what I did myself either." She finally looked up to everyone's eyes. "I'm just as lost as you guys and I want answers."

"Where do we start, Fearless?" Raph goaded his brother.

"We could try to trigger the same thing that happened to you last night but that's too big of a risk." He pondered. "Not to mention the casualties involved."

"What were you thinking about that made you butcher those Purple Dragons up?" Don said grimly. "It could be a trigger."

"Uh..." She looked down again and thought. "You'd guys wouldn't understand."

"C'mon! We can take it." Mikey encouraged.

"It's just... I plan on being a comic artist and I've already come with a few comics stories already." Vanessa started explaining when Raph cut in.

"What does this have to do with anything?" He said rudely, leaning back.

_**I've never really told many people about the millions of story ideas I got stored inside my head. I started the rough drafts for stories and comics and share them online and get some review. But explaining those ideas to people I just met and who already thought I was a little mental is a very hard challenge. Rather than just tell them the whole damn thing, I told them about what came to mind when I killed those guys. **_

"A passing and very random thought came into my head where my reaper character came into my mind." She continued. "She was hacking away at those Purple Dragons. Killing them without a second thought."

"So you're character somehow took control of your body and killed those thugs?" Raph laughed. "We're sure getting somewhe-"

He was cut off as a hand grasped his throat and lifted him into the air. The turtle got to their feet quickly to try and assist their brother but Raph was released and fell to the ground. The attacker was a bone skinny woman with a cowl covering a majority of her face. In her hand was a massive scythe, blood stained on it. Murderous intent filled her red slanted eyes.

"Are done insulting me or do you want me to break your neck?" She threatened.

"Vanessa?" Leo was astonished.

So she wasn't crazy and they had a lot of questions without answers. The demonic woman perked up at the name before fading away. Once all the black mist/smoke vanished, the said teen was standing there with a shocked expression in her eyes.

"What the fuck just happened?" She asked before passing out.

Well this was going great...


	4. Chapter 4

Garnet, Vanessa's guardian, waited patiently in the living room for the said teen to return home. It had been 6 hours since her last call. And while she appeared to be a controlling stepparent, there was more to it. She was reading the newspaper when Vanessa came home finally. The article she was reading was about the murder last night. There wasn't any explanation or suspicions to who did it but the thugs were chopped into pieces. Garnet had an idea of who could've done it when she heard someone trying to open the door quietly. Pretending to not notice, she heard Vanessa try to sneak across the living room of the small apartment. When she was almost to her room, Garnet made herself present.

"Care to tell me where you've been?" She said in a cold voice, receiving a grumble from the teen she was raising.

"I was at a friend's." Was her reply, filled with venom.

"Which one?"

"Since when did you care?" She growled. "Look, I told you what happened over the phone this morning. What more do you want?"

"How long have you been out of school?" She asked, closing the newspaper and getting out of her chair to face her stepdaughter. "I received a notice from the mail a while ago but I assume it was longer."

"I've been out a week."

"Why?" Garnet asked.

"Oh let's see." She said sarcastically. "I've got you breathing down my neck, I can never focus, and I'm constantly getting bullied by frickin' assholes trying to be the other. Leaving was better than staying."

_**Yep. I dropped out. In my opinion, it was for the best. I could never stand the people at school there. Sure I had some friends but most of them moved or got other friends. And I let them go... I had hoped getting a job would keep me busy during school hours and raise enough money for something I had planned for all of us. The only thing in my way was the bitch taking care of me.**_

"Dropping out isn't an option. What about that career you've always wanted?" She paused and tried to remember what it was.

"Oh this is great. You've _never_ asked about what I wanted to do and I never told you." She stormed off to her room.

"Vanessa, get back here!"

The teen slammed the door to her room before shouting in frustration.

"Vanessa!" Her guardian called out. "Get your butt out here now!"

"FUCK OFF!" She screamed back, locking her door.

_**Okay, she **_**did****_ find out about me dropping out of school. Forgot that she did. But it didn't really matter. I was pissed at her and how she was acting concerned when she couldn't even remember I never told her what I wanted to do for a career. You know what it is. She didn't and I planned on keeping it that way. And after all that, I couldn't deal with that bitch any more._**

She hated it here. She couldn't stand it at all. Vanessa grabbed her iPod and plugged it into the speakers, blasting the song 'Serpentine' by Disturbed. As it started off with the beginning guitar solo, Vanessa grabbed some of her clothes and sketchpads and packed them into a duffel bag. She would come back for the rest of the stuff later. During the time she spent to pack her things away and get her things ready for removal, she was singing along to the song and not paying attention to the person opening her window. That's when Vanessa stopped and asked herself what the hell was she doing?

She had never gone through with most of her ideas because something always stopped her. But in this case, she wasn't just going to stay here for her guardian to control how she lived. The iPod had changed to a song completely different from what she was listening to.

"Not in the mood for this music." Vanessa said aloud to no one. She changed to song to Celldweller when she turned around and jumped. "Holy shit!"

"Oh so now you scream." Raph said. "When all you did early was bang your head against the wall."

"Where the hell did you come from?"

"The window. Leo had me follow you so we know where you live in case of an emergency." The turtle explained, looking around the room. He picked up one of her sketchbooks and started flipping through. "Cool pictures. Did ya trace 'em?"

"No." She walked over and took the sketchpad away from the turtle, stuffing it into the bag she was packing. "All my own creations and drawings."

"Okay then. Why are you packing?" He asked, noticing the bag. He got a small nervous chuckle from the teen.

"I can't stand it here." She forced out a laugh. "As much as I don't want to leave the place I call home, I can't stay."

"Where are ya gonna go then?"

"I don't New York that well but I'm sure I'll find a place to stay until I get enough money working with April." Vanessa sighed. "It may be a few years but I've got a dream and I ain't abandoning it so easily. I'm not letting my siblings down."

Raph was quiet while Vanessa continued packing her bag. When she was satisfied, she zipped it up and sat on the bed for a moment, thinking. The turtle was looking around the room, busying himself as he thought. He was about to say something when someone tried to open the door and started banging on it.

"Vanessa! Open up this door." Yelled her guardian.

"Leave me the fuck alone already." The teen yelled back.

"I don't know how many times I've yelled at you for your language but watch it! And open this door now."

"I'm not opening the door and I ain't talking to you. Leave me alone!"

"What would Matthew say if you did this to him?" Garnet shot back. Vanessa stopped but returned to the offensive quickly.

"I wouldn't be doing this to him because I wouldn't be in the same situation I'm in now." She hissed, grabbing her bag and iPod. "Things would've been a lot more different if he was still here."

There was another loud banging noise as Garnet threatened a lot of things. Vanessa didn't really care any more as she opened up her bedroom window. Something held back, as usual, but she couldn't stand it here. Live with the guilty or live a life not of your own. The choice was simple but weight was on both options. The hand on her shoulder tore her from her thoughts as Vanessa looked to see Raph behind her. Like he's got her back anytime. But then he said something else entirely, non-motivational too.

"If ya don't hurry up, you got a handful waiting for ya." He said short and simple.

"Right." She said to herself silently as she crawled out the window.

She did her best to climb down but was too scared of falling. There were times that she actually slipped and nearly fell but grabbed onto something before that could happen. Raphael eventually just grabbed the bag from her and climbed down ahead, making it easier for the teen. It took a long while but Vanessa made it down. But where she found herself was where she did _not_ want to be. With a bunch of attack dogs that belonged to her downstairs neighbor.

"Raph?" She cried out, panicking quickly. The first dog lifted it's head up and growled at her, alerting the other 5 dogs. "Raph!"

"What?" He snapped, popping his head over the chained fence.

"Help me!" She managed to say before the dogs started barking and got into attack positions.

Vanessa cringed and tried to climb the fence but was dragged down quickly by the first dog, who bit more than just her pants. She kicked blindly as the dogs surrounded her, screaming. Raph came in just in time as one of the dogs went for the face. He kicked them away and threw Vanessa over his shoulder. He jumped over the fence as the dogs tried to get them. The turtle grinned to himself and taunted the dogs a bit when he noticed the blood.

"You okay, kid?" He asked.

"My leg burns." She cried. "It hurts."

"Let's get you to Donnie." He grabbed the duffel bag with her belongings. "He'll fix ya up."

"This is why I hate dogs." She muttered in his neck.

_**Never like those dogs. Never liked dogs in general. And truth be told, I'm kinda scared dogs. Still am. That experience there didn't exactly soften up the fear. It just made it worse. Raph, or Grumpy ass as I call him sometimes, took me down to his home in the sewers. It stank down there as expected, but you get used to the smell. My leg burned and it hurt. That damn dog sunk it's teeth really deep. This is why I'm more of a cat person.**_

_**A/n: No joke. I really, REALLY don't like dogs. They keep chasing me around and make a huge mess everywhere. And hell, the owners don't really do anything about it. They finally are now though. No offense to you dog owners. **_

_**Anyhoo, sorry for the rant. More to chapters to come soon. And is there anything you readers may want in the story? Any characters suggestions possibly? Just asking.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Vanessa hissed in pain once again as Raph hurried to his home in the sewers. He had stumbled over something and hit her leg wound on her duffel bag. He muttered a short apology before continuing on. It was about 10 minutes when Vanessa finally asked Raph to stop and put her down for a moment. He argued about how time was precious to getting the wound checked but she said she wanted to sit down.

"I don't see why you're arguing with me when you know I'm right." Raph scowled as he set the teen down gently. "The sooner we get ya t' Don, the sooner we get that bite checked out."

"I'm really... dizzy right now..." She strained to look at the turtle in the eyes. She was pale, which Raph knew wasn't a good sign. "How bad... does it... look?"

Raph lifted her leg up slightly and studied it as best as he could with the given light. The blood had started to dry but that didn't mean it stopped bleeding. The bite marks alone had made the flesh on the teen's leg look like torn up meat in Raph's opinion. Making Raph wanna hurry up and get this girl to his brainiac brother.

"I ain't no doctor but that is one nasty bite." He said, making a face. He looked back up to see Vanessa glaring at him with weak eyes. "I'm just saying."

"If it's that... bad, let's hurry..." She said before passing out.

"Uh-oh." Raph cursed and scooped up the teen quickly. He needed to get to Don fast!

_**I had passed out from both blood loss and the fact that I couldn't stand the pain. What happened then was lost to me but I found myself in their humble abode deep in the sewers. And I found myself staring face to face with a giant ass rat. I accidentally slapped him in the face too in response.**_

Splinter rubbed his cheek while Vanessa did her best to get away with her injured leg, screaming her lungs out. All the turtles were out trying to calm the teen down before she fell off the couch, mumbling something. Don picked her up and placed her back on the couch, feet away from Splinter.

"I really do not think that slap was necessary, miss..." Splinter was lost to what to call her.

"Vanessa Hosek." She answered, eyeing the giant rat cautiously. "Just call me Vanessa."

"I understand that you were shocked by my sudden appearance but the slap was not necessary, miss Hosek."

"I wake up to a giant rat in my face." She half laughed. "What do you expect?"

"She has a point." Raph agreed, shrugging his shoulders and shooting his master an apologetic look. The old rat just sighed and shook his head.

"Are you feeling any better?" Don asked, checking the bite wound.

"Better than before I passed out." She mumbled and looked away from her leg as Don unwrapped the bandages. She hissed when open air touched her healing wound.

"Hm, looks a little better than before." Don observed. "It's going to be hard for you to walk on your leg for a while though. Those teeth tore some muscles and the bite was deep."

"Not much to expect from attack dogs." Raph said.

"If it is alright with your guardians," Splinter started. "You may stay until you're leg gets better."

Vanessa froze and looked to Raph temporarily, then back to the old rat.

_**Now how do you tell an old rat that you just ran away from home? That was the question buzzing in my head as I thought of what to say. I smile a lot when I lie as you already know so I just went for it. Then it got really emotional and tried to fight back all those tears. Sometimes I wonder where exactly my life was going.**_

Leo just stared at her for a moment before suggesting that they all give her a little while to herself. Splinter agreed and asked his students and sons to go about their business. Don said he'd check in on her for her leg but nothing else. Mikey complained at first being that he couldn't play video games but then found himself happy in reading comics later. Raph went to the dojo to practice and Leo went to meditate. Vanessa wasn't sure where Splinter went but she found herself alone. It was nice most of the time but sometimes... It felt nice to know someone was around.

After about 40 minutes, she began digging through her duffel bag that was, thankfully, by her and pulled out her PSP. It was an hour when Mikey came walking in to hear the teen yelling at the video game, saying things like 'die already, ya freaking transvestite!' or 'HA! In yo face, pissy pants'. Least to say, Mikey wanted to know what was up.

"Watcha doin'?" He asked, looking over her shoulder as she continued to play.

"Trying to kill this guy but he keeps teleporting to my side and trying to- AH! The hell? Where'd that come from? Stupid transvestite!" She got caught up in the game and completely ignored the turtle until she lost. "God-" She muffled herself from swearing.

"What game are you playing?" Mikey asked innocently.

"Ever heard of Final Fantasy?"

"Meh, it's alright." He shrugged. "Is that one of their games?"

"Yep and I really, _really_ hate Kuja right now." She said as she turned off the PSP. "So what are you up to?"

"I was wondering who was making all that noise. Found the culprit." He poked Vanessa's arm, who smirked and put away her hand held console. "So you play video games?"

"And read comics, draw, come up with multiple stories off the top of my head..." She explained. "And so on."

"Give me one."

"Of what?"

"A story." He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Okay, uh..." She thought on it and started. "A young adult who was the government's pawn since a young age along with many other teens is sent to our Earth and is accepted into a family. From there, she sees the error in her ways and discovers that her government wants to take over that world and it's resources. But her, along with others, take them out and rebuild their fallen, fucked up world."

Mikey just stared at her and processed what she said in his brain. After a moment, all he could say was, "Wow."

"Actually, it's a story I've been thinking about for a while but have never really done all the editing and getting into detail and I don't feel like boring you with the facts." Vanessa waved it off and went shifting through her duffel bag. "Hey, wanna see a few pictures I've drawn?"

"Uh, sure?"

_**Mikey and I had a lot in common. Towards the typical nerd stuff anyway. We sat and talked about the things we liked. I showed him some of my artwork and he told me about the adventures he and his brother partook in. If you ever meet them, **_**if****_ you do, you would probably like them. Well... most of them anyway._**

Mikey and Vanessa ended up playing video games for hours. They were playing the turtle's games mostly but they had managed to get some of Vanessa's games. Which they were playing right now. Leo walked into the entertainment center to see the teen coaching his younger brother as he played the game. And it was serious kind as Mikey kept trying not to get his shell eaten by a Hydra.

"Move it or lose it, Mike!" Vanessa yelled as Mikey kept playing. "You're a sitting duck right now."

"I'm trying, ya know." He shot back. "I'm not liking this Hydra though. It keeps trying to-"

"Oh, give me the damn controller." She took the controller and started playing. "I thought you said you were good at video games."

"Not these kind!"

"You coulda said that earlier."

"What are you guys playing?" Leo asked.

"God of War." Vanessa answered as she began slaughtering everyone and killing the Hydra. "Which Mikey does not play that well."

"Those stupid skeleton guys keep coming outta nowhere!" The turtle protested.

"Never stopped me." She smiled slightly.

"What's the whole purpose of the game anyway?" Leo asked, leaning against the couch.

"You got betrayed by the god Ares so you're hunting him down for revenge. He made you kill your own family."

"That's harsh."

"Greek mythology is a strange wonder." The teen smiled. Once the boss was defeated, she threw her hands in the air and started cheering on in victory. "And that is how you fish!"

"Teach me your ways, sensei." Mikey joked as he got to his knees and pretended to beg. They both erupted in laughter not too soon after. Leo couldn't help and join in.

"Should we just change the game then?" Vanessa soon asked after she managed to quell the giggles. Though they weren't all gone. "Or should we just watch a movie now?"

"I like this chick!" Mikey said with joy.

"Why thank you, my dear ninja turtle." She said in a regal voice, the two laughing hard again.

"So I assume Vanessa's leg is doing better?" Don asked he walked in. The teen gave him a thumbs up as she ended up falling over from laughter. "I'll take that as a yes then."

...

It was that time of night where the turtles patrolled the city, leaving Vanessa by herself. Splinter had hung around at her request of not feeling completely alone. The rat came over moments after and turned the tv on to watch soap operas. The teen did her best to ignore the drama happening with drawing little comics and just sketching. That proved to be hard as Splinter continued watching those shows for a few more hours. She was about to go mad when the turtles returned back. Vanessa immediately asked them to show her around seeing how she was going to stay there indefinitely. Leo was the one who agreed to this as he did his best to guide her around their sewer home.

They were in the dojo now, Leo having Vanessa lean against the wall for a moment. The turtle took this break to clear away some of the 'trash' that littered around the training mat. He'd have to scold Mikey later.

"Hey, Leo?" A voice tore him away from his thoughts. He turned to see the teen slumped against the wall, carefully rubbing her injured leg.

"Yeah?"

"Does it... ever feel weird? Not knowing many other people out there in the world? Or the fact that you're the only ones of your kind?"

How would he answer _that_ kind of question? It was something no one's ever asked him before. But it did bring up some things he's never thought about. Did it feel weird to know you're the only one of your kind? Yeah, he was proud of who he was but Vanessa's question seemed very deep. He would meditate on it for further clarification.

"I'm not sure how to answer that kind of question, honestly." He said after a while. "Why?"

"Just wondering." She answered, leaning her head back. "I may come up with some harsh lives for the characters I create but being the last or only one of your kind is just too much. Sure, I've made hybrids and experiments gone loose, but there were others similar to them."

"Well I'm never alone if that's what you're getting at. Is there something you're getting at?"

"I don't know." Was all she said. "Am I?"

"I think you should get some sleep." Leo concluded. "You look exhausted."

"'Kay. Mind helping me up?" She held her hand in the air.

"Why not?" He smiled and took it, lifting her in his arms. She was really light. "How old are you?"

"Gonna turn 15 in a few days." She answered.

"You're kinda light."

"I'm considered underweight."

"Ah."

_**Yeah, never really gained some weight. Still was some skinny ass kid that couldn't punch anything without hurting myself. But it's the same thing with you too. You just had more muscle because you played sports. Leo never asked anymore questions like those after that. He just took me back to the couch and I passed out shortly after. No dreams and yet I could feel my brain still going. Not tiring one bit. And as for the dog bite, that thing hurt like a bitch and a half. I hope you never have to deal with that kind of pain. Trust me. It hurts.**_

**A/n: Okay I've never really played God of War except for Chains of Olympus, which I beat in two days on easy mode without saving. A proud feat for me. As for the Final Fantasy game I'm referring to, it's Dissidia. And Kuja is the girly looking man in the black thong and the narcissist attitude. Just an FYI for y'all.**


	6. Chapter 6

The days were going by so damn slow for Vanessa. All she could do was rest and occasionally watch a movie or draw. It was the day before her birthday and Don was checking on her dog bite. The turtles have been real welcoming since her arrival. Of course, they let their habits loose because of her influence. Splinter had to scold all of them about it. As he unwrapped the bandages, he noticed how the wound was healing very fast. Every time the turtle checked the wound, it would have healed much faster than it should be. And right now, the wound would be healed by the end of the week maybe.

"So how does it look?" Vanessa asked, leaning forward.

"Surprising good." He answered. "Have you always been a fast healer?"

"Um... I usually don't get bit by dogs or get bad injuries like that so..." She trailed off and then asked, "Why?"

"Nothing." He lied. "You should be able to walk soon though."

"Sweet! How soon?"

"I don't know. Maybe later tomorrow?" He guessed.

"Ha! My body's giving me a birthday present. That's funny." She laid back and just stared around for a while.

"Is it your birthday soon?" Don asked as he re-wrapped the bite wound with a fresh bandage.

"Tomorrow actually. Gonna turn 15." She paused and then asked, "How old are you guys?"

"We just turned 16."

"All of you?"

"None of us really have an official birthday."

"But you know who's the oldest and youngest." She sat up and looked at the turtle.

"You're really curious, aren't you?" He grinned.

"More or less."

"Well, my turn to ask some question." Don finished his job and stood up. "Who was that you were talking on the phone with the other day?"

"My sister." Vanessa's eyes began wandering around, barely giving the turtle eye contact. "I was just telling her that everything was fine and that I was going to be away for a while."

"Protecting her from the truth may seem good," Splinter said as he walked towards them. "But that lie will soon backfire at the hands of others."

"Gamble I'm willing to take." She shrugged. "It's not like they can do anything to me right now."

"Just be careful, Vanessa. Gambles work both ways." Don warned.

"I'm stupid so whatever happens, I deserve it."

_**Yep. That's just how my brain works. And I took a lot of gambles. I'm just that stupid. It's just kinda part of who I am. You should know that better than anyone else.**_

Vanessa was passed out on the couch with her arm over her face. Usually, she would sleep this much at all whenever she was sick or anything. But she felt _so_ tired! It wasn't right for her to be this kind of tired. It would always be from just being worn out from school or long days.

Casey and April were there to visit at the request of the turtles, telling the two humans of their plan. From all they've gathered, it would be Vanessa's birthday tomorrow. And they wanted to throw her a surprise party. Casey and April were totally for it, already helping with plans. The teen passed out on the couch began waking up at the sound of their excitement.

Vanessa threw her feet over the side of the couch and rubbed her temples. Her head was pounding! The dreams she has been having were very colorful and gruesome. A lot involving the characters she made up and the worlds she created. Whatever was happening in her head was trying to tell her something.

She grabbed her iPod from her bag and began listening to Florence + the Machine. She then grabbed one of the comics she was rereading and started flipping through the pages. The Spawn comic she was reading right now was still in the beginning. Vanessa was like that for a while before one of the turtles noticed she was awake. And it happened to be Raph.

"Whatcha reading there?" Raph asked, startling the teen as she retaliated. Vanessa's hand was just inches away from slapping the red-banded turtle across the face. "Yer a very jumpy person, you know that."

"Geez, dude." She sighed as she settled back down. "Warn a person next time."

"Imma ninja. Stealth is essential to making sure I don't get caught. The art of surprise is what gives me an advantage over my enemies."

"And your stink breath is what keeps girls away." She stuck her tongue out and couldn't contain her laughter as he tried to find the right insults. "I'm just joking."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "You're lucky yer a girl otherwise I'd slap you like I would with Mikey."

"What does being a girl have to do with anything?" She raised an eyebrow. "People may use that as leverage."

"Are you gonna?"

"Do you want me to?"

They just stared at each other for a while before Raph laughed. He ruffled Vanessa's head and grabbed the comic book that sat in her lap.

"You're alright, kid." he said as he started flipping though pages. "Crazy, but yer okay in my books." He stopped on one page and made a weird face. "Not so sure about _your_ books though."

"Gimme that!" She took the Spawn comic from him and tucked into her duffel bag. "It's just part of the story."

"Where angels do _that_ to a guy as ugly as him?"

"Apparently yes."

_**I'm not even bother telling you on how I tried to explain to Raphael what was happening in the story. **_**I'm ****_still trying to figure it out myself. But after a while, we all watched a movie together. It was 'District 9' so I already knew what was going to happen since I love that movie. After that awesome yet kinda sad movie, April told me she was going to take me out since I should be walking around by then. And while I may be a lazy ass sometimes and have been called a vampire many times by people, I was looking forward to going out. Yeah, I was that bored and crazy. I wasn't looking forward to the shopping though. _**

Vanessa was looking at the video games with the excitement of a kid getting a present. April just watched with amusement as she looked through the games with a critical eye. It was really funny to see her grab one game and put it back down the moment she read the back. She was looking through the games like this for a while and despite having looked through a lot of the games, she didn't grab any or ask April to get it.

"Don't you want a game?" April finally asked as the teen looked at a certain for the fifth time.

"Um..." She looked at the game in her hand and then back at April. "I wanna get some but I... never mind." She put the game back on the shelf and began looking through a different section of the games.

"Just pick a game." April said. "It's my treat."

"I now but... I feel like it's too much to ask." She fiddled with her hands and picked up another game that she had already looked at before. "And plus, there's other games I wanna get but I don't want you spending money on me."

"Vanessa, from what the guys have told me, it's your birthday today. And I'm getting whatever things you want as my present to you." The redhead paused and added. "That's within the amount of money in my wallet, that is."

She smiled at the last sentence and looked back down at the game. She then walked back to the other game she had her eye on for a while and walked back beside April.

"I'd like to get these two games and I'll try to worked off the price." Vanessa said as she held the two games in front of her. All April could do was sigh.

"You don't have to work off a birthday present." She took the games and looked at them. "It defeats the whole purpose of a gift."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." April said as she looked at the two games.

She noticed how they both were rated M and had the common warning of violence, suggestive themes, and blood. One of the games was called Darksiders II. It had what looked like some guy riding an undead horse with twin scythes in each hand. She looked on the back to see that it was a biblical based game where you play as one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The other game was one she had heard of on tv as one of the best sci-fi games of the century or something like that. It was called Mass Effect and this was the third installation of the series. It was also the game she kept picking up and looking at. April looked to Vanessa, who looked at the games with hungry eyes before looking back at the redhead with guilty eyes.

"It seems appearances _are_ deceiving." Was all she said before buying the games. "And here I thought she would have more happier and less violent interests." She muttered to herself.

_**I think I frustrated April a lot with my reluctance to get things for myself. Especially since it was her getting me gifts. We were walking around in that mall for a while as I was just browsing. There were things I saw that I really wanted but I felt like those two games were enough for me. I like to be content with what I have and it feels like a burden when people ask me what I want. And then I kinda feel guilty when they get something for me. **_

_**I really don't like asking people for things. Or asking questions in general even. I'm just happy with what I have and make do with the materials around.**_

April looked at the two bags of things they got after spending about two hours in the mall. She sighed and drank her coffee. You would think a girl would be more excited about shopping and making things complicated by deciding what clothes to get. Oh, no. Vanessa was definitely different. She didn't seem too enthusiastic about clothes but more about guy stuff and made things complicated by deciding whether or not to ask April for something.

The said teen was sipping her own drink quietly, looking around with her hat just barely covering her eyes. She wasn't drinking coffee like April but just a 'Vanilla Steamer', as she called it. It was pretty much white chocolate milk that was heated up and had foam, in short. At first, April didn't pay much attention to her until she heard some of the rude remarks being made by a group of girls that looked to be the same age as Vanessa herself.

"-nging out in some joint with a bunch of those thugs calling themselves the Purple Dragons or whatever." Said one girl, who had short cropped hair and some _really_ short shorts. "She was always weird to begin with."

"More like a freak." Corrected another girl. This one had long blackish brown hair and a tank top that hung a little too low. "Have you seen the stuff she draws? I asked her about one of those pictures and she said that it was some demon from Hell that goes around, and I quote," She paused, cleared her throat, and continued in a different voice. "'punishing those who deserve a worse treatment than they deliver'." She and the other girls busted out laughing. "I mean, what the fuck?"

"Well I'm glad she ain't in school anymore." Said one that looked like she was from somewhere else. "I heard she got kicked out. Not even her own friends see her anymore."

"They ran away from her _before_ she got kicked out." Added the first girl. "From what I heard, they got scared off her craziness and left-"

Vanessa pushed out her chair and walked over to them. They continued talking about this girl from school as the teen got closer. They were laughing again before Vanessa made her presence known.

"It really isn't nice to talk about people behind their backs." She growled, emotion building up in her voice. "Especially when they just a table away." She knocked over one of their cups, spilling all over the first girl. "And by the way, get your fucking facts straight. _I_ left _them_. And it was because of people like you so why don't you mind your own fucking business."

April didn't get to her feet fast enough as the girls were already on the ground, clawing at each other. Vanessa was at a disadvantage because of her bad leg and her size but that meant nothing to her. She rolled out from underneath and grabbed the other teen in a head lock, slowly choking her. The other girls then decided to join the fray as they took Vanessa off and threw her into one of the empty tables. By then, April stepped in between the warring teens. Vanessa was on her feet but rather than get back into the fight, she took off, limping as she went.

"I care who you are but she did not deserve that!" April scolded the girls. "She has already been through enough."

The manager of the shop came out and kicked all of them out. The redhead was already leaving so it didn't matter. She had to find Vanessa though. Which was fairly easy since she was sitting on a bench, looking at her hands. As April got closer she could see some blood on them. The teens eyes were watery and on the verge of crying as the redhead took a seat next to her. She placed the bags down by her feet and just sat there for a moment.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Vanessa said, breaking the silence in between them.

"They were talking about you, weren't they?"

"They were just a few of the reasons I had trouble in school. And while education is important, I was glad to leave that godforsaken place."

"Is that why you came to my shop?"

"Kinda. I need to keep busy during the day. But I also wanted to raise some money. I got several things I wanna do that require some bills."

"And what would that be?" April asked, hoping the talking would clear up whatever emotions were going on in her head. Her question made the teen perk up a little.

"Something I really wanna do is to raise enough money to take me and my siblings back to Hawaii. It's where we used to live. We all agree we miss the beaches and seeing the ocean as we drive to the other towns and cities. And the warm weather that was year round."

"You used to live there?"

"Yep."

It made sense now. How she seemed to be affected by cold more than other people and even how she talked sometimes. It made April feel more pity towards her but there wasn't really anything she could do. Unless...

"You don't have to raise the money by yourself, you know." April smiled. Vanessa gave her with a questioning look. "You should learn to ask more often. Me and the guys can help you with your dream. Although I'm pretty sure they'd wanna come too."

"I think I know a few beaches we could go to where we don't have to worry about them being seen." She smiled. "But there's the problem with my sister and brother."

"I'm sure we'll find a solution to that later." She stood up and grabbed the bags. "Come on. We should head back."

"Probably a good idea."

"Let's stop by the shop first. I got a few things to do first."

_**And so, that begins the quest to raising the money for us to return back to the Big Island. But it's funny how fate works sometimes. Like how I just **_**had****_ to run into the three bitches on my birthday. As for how I got the blood on my hands, I can throw a hit, you know. And I can also bite like you. And claw with the short nails I have. Of course, a little scuffle like that won't stop them from talking behind my back again. But at least I showed them I'm not going to get walked on like that again._**


	7. Chapter 7

Vanessa couldn't find the right words to describe how worn out she was. The teen fell on her ass and threw her head back, trying to catch her breath as she did. Leo just shook his head with a smile and dropped to his knees right by her. Vanessa barely lifted her head before collapsing altogether. Leo couldn't help but laugh as she groaned with pain, complaining about how exhausted she was.

"You really weren't kidding when you said you don't work out." Leo couldn't help but say as the teen just layed there.

"I am an artist." She said between breaths of air, holding a finger in the air. She pointed at Leo and added, "You're a freaking muscle machine who's used to this kinda stuff!"

"Because I pratice a lot."

"Obviously!"

_**It's been about a month since my birthday. Leo offered to train me and I accepted, thinking it's be cool to kick some ass with ninja moves. I did **_**not****_ expect what I've had to endure through since becoming that guy's desciple. The first thing we did was get me into shape, meaning less sitting on my ass and more push-ups. Ya know how I always had trouble sleeping? Not anymore! No thanks to Leo anyway._**

"This is why I decided to get you some muscle before we start actually training." Leo explained as he held a hand in front of Vanessa. She was reluctant to take it at first but grabbed it and hoisted herself up. "It won't come right away though. It takes time."

"You think?" She leaned over placing both hands on her legs from support. "God damn! Brada, I am _not_ an athletic person. I used to play soccer but that was long time ago."

"Brada?" Leo wasn't sure what that was. Vaness had to explain that it was pigeon for 'brother' back on Hawaii. "Okay well I guess we should take a breath. You look like a fish outta water."

"Oh thank God." She said before rushing to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Despie being worn out and tired from today's training, she got to the kitchen pretty quickly. Leo followed behind at a casual pace. In the kitchen, Mikey was cooking breakfast while April helped make bacon. Vanessa was already down the water before falling back into the nearby chair, exhausted as hell. The orange-banded turtle decided to tease the teen as he continued to cook.

"If you think that was hard, wait 'til you start the real training." He grinned.

"Don't make me think about it!" She pleaded, leaning back in her chair. "I'm already dying of the air that isn't in my lungs."

"You weren't the only one who was having trouble during training." April said, remebering when she was training. She still was, in fact. The redhead just was used to the physical toll it had on her body.

"You know ninja moves too?" The teen lifted her head and looked at the redhead with a curious look.

"It was for self defence." Leo said, leaning against the wall. "We couldn't always comes to her rescue."

"And now I help the guys whenever I can during missions."

"You guys have known each other for a long time, eh?" Vanessa smiled, now leaning on the table as Mikey handed her a plate with scrambled eggs. The girl dug into her breakfast in a hearbeat, completely ignoring those around.

"Well someone's hungry." Mikey snickered, making the rest of the eggs. "Wanna play some videogames later?"

"We still have some exercises-" Leo began but Vanessa cut him off.

"Nooooooooo. Need longer break." She practically slammed her head down on the table. "Can I play for an hour with Mikey at least? Please?"

Leo had a hard time fighting against the puppy eyes she was throwing him. And it didn't help when Mikey joined in, begging his older brother in a baby voice. April couldn't help but laugh while the rest of the turtles came into the kitchen for breakfast.

"What's this about?" Raph pointed to the two hooligans.

"They're begging Leo to let Vanessa play videogames for a while." April said, taking the bacon out the oven.

"Well, Fearless?" Raph goaded his brother. "What do you say?"

"Ugh, fine." He said after another few minutes of puppy eyes. "You can play for one hour. But only one!"

They didn't pay attention as both Mikey and Vanessa started cheering. For the rest of the morning, everyone ate their breakfast before going their separate ways. The duo played their videogames for half an hour when Vanessa paused the game and began rubbing her forehead. Her face scrunched in mild pain as she hung her head low, placing her hands on either side of her head. Mikey put his controller down and looked at the teen, worried.

"You okay?" The orange-banded turtle asked. "You look kinda pale."

"Headache." She answered. "They've been coming more often."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because I thought I could deal with it on my own."

Mikey turned his body to face her. She was even bothering to look at him. Her hand was still rubbing her temples but the pain that was on her face was lessened.

"You aren't alone." He said. "You can ask us for help and tell us what's going on."

"That's the thing!" She was on her feet now, pacing back and forth. "I... Agh! I have a hard time asking for things or even asking for help. I try to do things on my own and... It's just... Shi- I can't." She shook her head furiously. "I can't. I just-" She sighed in aggrivation and returned back to her seat on the couch.

"You're just used to do things on your own, huh? Well, as long as you're with us," He wrapped an arm around Vanessa's neck and dragged her close. "We're here for ya anytime ya need us!"

"Gah! Slowly dying..." She said in a dramatic way, flailing her arms. "I can almost see the light!"

Both of them started laughing as the turtle let her go. They went back to video games, her headache having gone. Once their hour of games was up, training began again. Vanessa was able to stop early when Splinter came to teach his students and sons more ninjitsu. The teen was comfortable with watching even grabbed her sketchbook to draw.

_**That's kinda how life was. I trained. They trained. We hung out for a long while. Then the guys went on patrol. I'd go to work with April. Very simple. But as I look back on life as it was then, I begin to realize that after my birthday, my... 'powers' began to grow more. The headaches were just a side effect that soon went away after a while. And soon... our trouble was about to start...**_

Another month ticked by in an eye's blink. In Vanessa's opinion anyway. She was finally getting some muscle tone and was actually getting more thicker around the bone. Leo was still getting her more endurance but he began teaching her the basics of ninjitsu. Her headaches went back and forth between getting very bad to not really noticing them. Whenever the turtles and their human friends tried to help, she would push them away and say she would be fine without medicine.

On this night, the turtles decided to take the teen with them. Splinter was hesitant to agree at first but let Vanessa travel with the turtles. Casey would be going with them too so if she needed to get back or anything, he would take her.

The guys were waiting in the living room, almost ready to go. They were just waiting on Mikey of course. He jumped down from his room and smiled with his big cheesy grin. Vanessa snuck behind him and placed a piece of paper on his shell, all without his notice. As they filed out into the garage, Raph saw the paper and snickered. Mikey never saw it coming.

...

"So... I just jump?"

Casey groaned and repeated what he had been saying a few times already. Vanessa was at the edge of the building roof, an uneasy look on her face. Sure, Casey wasn't too sure about jumping from roof to roof but he wasn't at all like this.

"It's alright to be nervous the first time." Don encouraged. "But after doing it a few times, you'll get faster and it will be easier."

"This is why I'm not an athletic person..." The purple-banded turtle heard her mumble as she walked away from the building edge.

"C'mon, crazy!" Raph called from the other roof. "You just jump!"

"Easier for you to say, hot head!" She replied back. "Although I think Mikey had to show you how first."

Next thing she knew, Raph was chasing her across the roof as the others just watch with a mixture of expressions. The red-banded turtle herded the teen so she would be forced to jump to the next building. He didn't expect her to climb down the side and hang there while Raph fumbled. Vanessa laughed but it was short lived as she felt herself slipping. Leo grabbed her in time when her hands had lost their hold completely. Don helped bring the teen up the roof again, asking if she was alright.

"_Never_ gonna do that again." She mumbled, shaking in fear.

_**First time's a charm, eh? Fuck that. I was scared shitless and thought I was going to die. Again. The turtles decided for Casey to take me on the 'lower' routes of patrol with Raph while the others went running over the streets. Which was fine at first.**_

Following after Raph and Casey was proving to be hard when Vanessa kept running out of breath every few minutes. She kept asking herself why Leo had her go with both of the short tempered fist fighters as they waited for her to catch her breath. For the 30th time. Both were starting to lose their already short patience.

"Bringing ya is starting to prove ta be a mistake." Raph finally said.

"No shit!" She spat then slapped herself when remembering Casey was there. "Sorry."

"You only have to watch your tongue back at the Lair." He shrugged. "Don't matter out here."

"Well I think I'm good for now. Let's go."

"You ain't goin' anywhere." Said the obvious sound of a punk.

All around them were a fusion of Purple Dragons and Foot ninja, whom Vanessa didn't know where until just recently. Raph and Casey were already on their feet while the teen was already slinking towards the middle between them, knowing her weakness in this. Out from the crowd came a hulking figure with a three clawed scratch on his face and his blond hair hanging over his shoulder in a loose ponytail. Now Raph and Casey were pissed.

"Well if it isn't the freak and the hockey masked vigilante." He smiled a little as the sadistic thoughts entered his head. Then he saw Vanessa. "Looks like this is going to be very easy while you're defending the girl."

"Wonderful." Vanessa sighed in her doesn't-sound-sarcastic voice. "Ninjas, gangsters, and a blond giant who seems like an asshole." She made her swear word loud for Hun to hear. "Looks like someone has a stick up his ass along with a leash around his neck."

Now Hun was mad as he barked orders at his men. He also added to show no mercy and beat the trio to a bloody pulp.

"You just _had_ to make him angry." Raph scoffed, raising his sai.

The Purple Dragons started moving in as the Foot ninja seemed to be taking their time. Casey and Raph were back-to-back while Vanessa seemed to be getting closer and closer to the ground. Then the same feeling from nearly three months ago was returning. Although it had a differnt but subtle feel to it. And this time, Vanessa planned on making full use of it.

Raph was ready to pounce but there was the problem of protecting the scared teen on his right. He knew Casey was thinking the same thing. The odds were against them. He raised his sai and was about to start forward when something in his gut told him to stop. The turtle barely glanced over his side to see Vanessa get to her feet with her head lowered. _What the hell is she..._ He started to think, his mouth barely opening as if to ask a question.

"Listen up, humans!" Said a voice completely different from the girl he actually starting to grow fond of. It was definitely male, and it sounded very alien with the subtle dual tone it had. "And I'm only repeating myself once so listen close you dumb fucks."

Like sand falling away without any gravity in the air, the teen's appearance changed into something else entirely. As she, or now _he_, contined talking, the transformation continued at a steady yet fast rate. Revealing a tall alien armed with slitghly curved twin blades in his hands.

He had large slanted eyes and a pressed nose. Lightly colored purple tube like things ran across his head in different spots. Two pairs were close to his eyes and ran to the back of his head. Natural plating covered a good portion of his body. His shirt was loose and reached to his mid ribs. His pants were baggy so it was easier to move around in. Around his hip was a small belt with many alien trinkets and such that decorated it. The alien's expression had signs of lust but was mostly covered with a practice stoic face.

"You have two options. One; you can run and forget this ever happen and maybe even change how your living your worthless lives." He twirled one of the blades in his three fingered hand. "Or you can go with my favorite choice. Where I do the rest of your race a favor and rid the earth of your stupidity. You have a mintue and counting."

The alien turned his head towards Raph and Casey, who were both shocked and confused. He gave them a small smile and decided to explain things.

"I'm here to help at the order of my creator." He said in a much softer voice. "And seeing how you need another muscle, I was the perfect choice. Now I'm pretty sure most of these guys are gonna stay."

_**Koth is kinda of an ass and very cocky as I planned him that way but in the situation, he was the right choice at the time. And he was right about all those idiots. A few pissed themselves before running off. Hun didn't seem that fazed sadly. And where was I while Koth took my place? It's... hard to explain.**_

Something didn't sit right in Leo's stomach. The turtle wasn't sure what but it was knawing at him in the back of his mind. And to add to that, Raph hadn't checked up with them in a while. The blue-banded turtle eventually came a stop and evaluate everything. They were finished with patrols. Nothing bad was happening. The three turtles stopped a few muggings and Purple Dragons. Which brought up another thing. There weren't a lot of those infamous thugs around tonight. Where were they?

"Are we done with patrolling, Leo?" Mikey asked. His older brother simply rolled his eyes under his mask.

"Yes, Mikey." He sighed. "We'll head back soon. We just need to find Raph and Casey and make sure they haven't picked any fights with some street punk."

"Knowing those two," Don chuckled. "They probably need our help right now."

"You're right about that, mutant."

The three turtles immediately got on guard and faced the intruder. Who turned out to be some 18 year old in a black trench coat. He sat casually above the turtles, looking down on them with a small grin. Leo narrowed his eyes but lowered his guard after determining the kid was no immediate threat.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"_Biblicus_." He answered without hesitation. "Remember it well, mutants." He hopped down from and seemed to float. "Now while we waste time here, that girl you let into your home and your friends are holding their own against the gathered forces of the Purple Dragons and the ninja organization of the Foot clan."

"What?!" All three turtles exclaimed. They were about to leave but _Biblicus _stopped them.

"You run to their side but you don't even know where they are." He smiled a little. "And you also want to help but that isn't going to happen. Not without interrupting the battle."

"That's kinda the whole point." Don growled.

"Then dear _Artifex_ won't be able to use the amazing abilitiess she has." He whined a little. "I'll show you where they are but I won't allow you to intervene." _Biblicus _began walking away. "Come."

...

Koth coughed as he looked down at the sword in his lower abdomen. The ninja was scared as the alien kicked him back and ripped the sword from his body. The ninja didn't even have a chance to run or scream as Koth's _kaudei_ was lodged in his head. Raph and Casey weren't fairing as well either. Both were battered and bloodied as they fought on against the gangsters and ninjas.

"Damn it all!" Koth coughed, clutching his stomach as he grabbed his curved weapon from the now dead human's head. _I seemed to be useless at the point._ He thought, blood seeping from the wound slowly. He took the brunt of the other twos near injuries, following his creator's mental orders. And now they were to switch with another. _Fine then._ He replied to Vanessa. _I need to rest anyway._

Raph blocked another attack from the Foot ninja. All three of their swords at once. He kicked them away and went to help Casey, who decided to take Hun on by himself. The vigilante was on the ground and about to be clobbered. Raph ran in time to kick Hun to the side.

"You alright, Case?" The red-banded turtle asked his friend.

"Yeah..." He groaned.

The flapping of two different pairs of wings made Casey and Raph turn their heads to see an angel and demon flying towards them. Before either of them could do something, the angel and demon grabbed the two. The two biblical creatures took them to the top of the building across, where they saw the other three turtles and a man in a black trench coat. The angel and demon dropped Casey and Raph less than gracefully on the ground.

"There. Safe and sound like I promised." _Biblicus_ scoffed, waving his hand in dismissal. The angel and demon faded in feathers and flames. "Can I continue evaluating _Artifex_ now?"

"What's this all about, Fearless?" Raph asked as his brother helped him up.

"Not right now, Raph." Was his quick reply.

Vanessa evaded Hun after Koth had gone. The blond giant focused his attacks on her, which she was having a hard time avoiding. She was having an even harder time thinking of which one of her characters to use. She could use Phantom, the silent assassin. But he used his speed and cunning and this needed something else than that. A giant fist went flying towards as she stepped to the side. The blow grazed her cheek.

_Dammit! Who can I use?!_ She shouted mentally. Then it came to her before she relaized it. Hun grabbed a sword from a fallen ninja and hefted it above his head. The last thing Vanessa heard as the sword came down was the turtles and Casey calling out her name.

**A/n: Dun dun DUN! Cliffhanger. Well I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Biblicus returns and I actually forgot his name for a while. Bad author! Read, view, and review.**

**~Predninja out!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**The blade came down, that is true. But it didn't touch me. No, for I decided to give those damn Purple Dragons something they should fear. And why not start with their leader? Taking down the strongest of them all strikes even more fear into the underlings heart. Great, now I'm getting all dramatic. **_

The sound of metal clashing together rang in Hun's ears. No longer was his original target in front of him but a nearly bone skinny woman with a cowl covering her entire head. A tattered shawl wrapped loosely around her shoulders and hung more towards her back. Claw like objects cupped around her breasts. Hanging on her skull decorated belt was a chained book. Wispy cloth hung to the left side of her hip and extended down to the ground. Her legs were wrapped in bandages and pieces of cloth. Underneath the blackness of her cowl was red eyes with glowing white pupils.

And she was called Punisher.

A quick twist of her oversized scythe and a quick blow to the back with the bladed end had Hun on the ground. Punisher twirled the scythe in her hand and hung it over her shoulder. The turtles have seen her before but she looked different from last time. They were subtle yet big changes.

"**Now then, unlike the creation before me, I will ****_not_**** give you a chance to flee**." She said. Her voice was cool and sharp like her scythe, a darker voice hidden plainly underneath like wind. "**I plan on cutting you into bloody cubes and put them into a nice present for your dear Master and leader of the Foot ninja. Any objections**?"

"This is going to be interesting." _Biblicus_ smiled, placing a hand underneath his chin.

"You just gonna watch?" Casey shouted. "Aren't you going to-"

"A deal is a deal, isn't that right, Leonardo?"

The turtle shifted under his gaze. He nodded his head slowly.

"As much as I'd like to help Vanessa, we can't." The blue-banded turtle explained.

"We can at at least help if she's in trouble, right?" Don tried to haggle.

"No. That would be my job." _Biblicus _informed. "Since falling off our radar, I've been the one watching her whenever I can and feeding lies to my superiors about her progress. So I'm going to be the one to save her ass if she wears out before completing her test."

"You're sick." Mikey said.

"I've been called worse things."

Hun charged at Punisher, who dropped into the ground through a portal of black and purple mist. The blond giant was shocked as he regained his composure. Then it dawned on him that Casey and Raph weren't around. The thugs and ninjas that were down (and weren't killed) got to their feet and were on high alert. Hun looked around for the missing two and found them on the roof top. He growled and shouted a string of curses their way.

"Get them!" He shouted at the ninja, who gave a curt nod.

They scaled the wall and were half way up when Punisher came out the wall mid torso and sliced at the ninja. Most were lucky and received gashes. Others weren't so lucky as they either lost their legs of upper half. The scythe wielding woman hung the scythe over her shoulders again and looked down at Hun.

"**Don't you realize it is hopeless to fight me**?" She taunted, staring down at what remained. "**I admire your stupidity for it gives me something to kill**."

"Hey, quick question." Raph called out as he bent over the edge. "Are all of your characters merciless killers?"

"Kinda in the middle of something, right now." Vanessa's voice said. It may have came from Punisher but it was definitely hers. "**Now if you'll excuse me**." Punisher said this time, rolling her eyes and pushing herself back into the wall.

"I thought demons were my specialty, _Artifex._" _Biblicus _said to himself as he never tore his eyes away.

The remaining attackers came closer together in anticipation and anxiety of where their assailant may be. Hun growled to himself, looking around and just as unsure as his lackeys. He turned his head in time to see Punisher come flying out the wall.

"**Surprise**!" She shouted as she rushed them.

No one got a chance to run as she cut them down. Under the moonlight, her scythe glistened with blood. While the remaining ninja and Purple Dragons were slowly diminishing, Hun took the opportunity to run away. And although the scythe wielding demon noticed, she didn't pursue. He would get his punishment soon.

The cut off scream of a dying fool was music to her ears. And as the slaughter continued, Punisher dissipated and it was now Vanessa handling the bloody scythe. All except one were dead on the ground before her. The last one standing scrambled to his feet and took off. Vanessa turned her body towards his fleeting one, grinned a little, and threw the scythe into the fleeing punk's back. He hit the ground with a loud 'thud'. As the teen walked over to his dying body casually, she could hear his raspy breathing. From where the scythe hit him, he should be dead in a few seconds.

"Next time, listen to Koth and just run away while you still live." She growled, ripping the scythe out. "Or when you _did_ live."

Vanessa threw the scythe over her shoulder, dwarfing her appearance with it's massive blade. She looked over to the roof top where the six silhouettes watched. One of them moved and made an indication to the others, saying they could do as they pleased. As they dropped down one by one, the teen saw that it was the turtles and Casey. The last figure ran along the roof and dropped down gracefully near her. It was... what's his face...? _Damn, I forgot his name. _Vanessa made a mental facepalm and narrowed her eyes at the black coated teen.

"I take it you were very amused?" She hissed, throwing her other arm over the staff. "Punisher said you were watching the entire time and were also the one who helped Raph and Casey."

"That is true, _Artifex_." He smiled sincerely. "And I must say I'm impressed with your... bloody imagination."

"Oh, you don't wanna know what happens in here." She tapped her head lightly with her finger. "Now go fuck off before I hack you up."

Unaffected by her threats, _Biblicus_ studied her with an amused look. Vanessa could see in the corner of her eye the hostility the turtles were giving towards him. And their unmasked concerned.

"Is it that time of the month?" That... was out of no where. Vanessa's face paled as she blinked her eyes rapidly. "It's shown that females tend to have a boost when the hormones are out of balance."

"I'm- I'm- I'm-" She kept stuttering until shaking her head. "Dude! None of your business!"

"I'm just curious."

"And I'm not talking about that kinda stuff!"

"This has to be the weirdest conversation yet." Mikey snickered to his brothers and Casey.

"So I take it you _are_ bleeding."

"Will you drop it?!" She shouted. "Ya know, it's very nice tonight. Don't you guys agree?" She turned to the turtles and Casey, trying her best to divert the conversation topic.

"Well that answers everything." _Biblicus_ clapped his hands together, grinning warmly. "Now keep your emotions in check. We wouldn't want anymore casualties."

"You're gonna be the next one if ya don't shut up." She growled, grip tightening on the scythe.

"Try me."

Vanessa shouted in frustration as she slung the scythe off her shoulders, rage in her eyes. _Biblicus,_ on the other hand, seemed very calm and calculating. The teen raised the scythe and slashed down. That's when _Biblicus_ turned into Death of the four Horseman of the Apocalypse. He caught the scythe with his and pushed back. While Vanessa fumbled, he wrapped his scythe around her neck and lifted her in the air. Vanessa's own scythe dropped and faded into smoke. The turtle armed themselves and face _Biblicus_, who had already turned back into his normal self.

"Like I've said before, _Artifex_." He whispered in her ear. "I've had years to practice. Meaning I have the upper hand and more control over my creations."

"Let her go, _Biblicus_." Leo ordered, raising his katana.

The blacked coated teen shrugged and dropped Vanessa to the ground. His scythe disappeared in black flames. Don and Mikey grabbed the younger teen and helped her to her feet, watching _Biblicus_ carefully along with his brothers.

"I guess I'll see you later then." He smiled, pure intent in his eyes.

Black feather wings spread out from his back as he was soon in the air. Vanessa started forward but shook her head and made a sound in frustration.

"That stupid bastard!" She shouted. "Who the hell asks someone if they're on their period?"

_**Yeah, I learned that Biblicus was just a sick bastard. The side-effect of the nanites they put into our blood stream are rare but can be severe. Which I am happy I didn't get. By the time we got back to the Lair, Splinter decided that it was best if I learn how to get control of my... powers and avoid hacking people into meaty bits. I still trained with Leo and I started learning on my own how to summon my characters. I started out with Punisher since she was the one I used first. I don't know why though.**_

"Explain to me again why I cannot go out and find that bastard called Hun?" Punisher asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Because killing people on a whim isn't honorable." Leo argued. His brothers backed him as he was having the same disagreement with the demonic killer.

"Since when was I honorable?" She turned to Vanessa, who looked up with a clueless face.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked, removing her headphones. "All I heard was bitchin' and moanin'."

"Be happy I can't hurt you otherwise I would've done that a long time ago." Punisher growled.

"Sometimes, even _I_ wonder where the hell I come up with people like you." Without asking, she put her headphones back on and went back to drawing in her sketchbook.

"Look, this fight is getting us nowhere." Don said finally. "We aren't going after Hun on some brutal campaign to kill him and who ever else."

"Who said I was taking any of you guys?" She smirked under the blackness of her cowl.

"Punisher is the Dark Prince's right hand assassin." Vanessa started explaining, stopping her drawing. "She is often sent to take out people in the mortal world and attack unsuspecting angels. Punisher was granted the strength of an army for when she needs to track down and kill any demons that escape Hell. And above all, she prefers to work alone unless under certain circumstances."

"You forgot to add that I have no care for life and death." Punisher said.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You're a nasty bitch that managed to piss off a hyper active pacifist mage."

"Ah, memories."

"You aren't exactly helping." Leo sighed.

"Just like I'm not a good role model." Vanessa smiled, looking up from her drawings. "Never planned on being one."

"Ugh, look, Punisher, we're not letting you hunt down Hun just so you can slaughter him and his men." Leo said on a final note.

Punisher just rolled her eyes and walked off, muttering insults in all kinds of languages. The turtles all looked at the teen sitting idly on the couch, giving her a look that said 'really?'. Vanessa finally looked up and started protesting.

"Can ya at least tone her down, I don't know, a lot?" Raph asked, making a silly hand gesture.

"Then she wouldn't be Punisher anymore and she would just be stupid. You cannot make someone from Hell if they aren't violent, sadistic, merciless-"

"I think we get it." Don interrupted.

"Do you have people that aren't violent?" Mikey asked, looking at the picture the teen was drawing.

"Um... let's see. We have Lithi, Light, Dave, Rae, Maruhk, no wait..."

"That was a rhetorical question." Don said.

"There's Jook too but he tends to hit you with a big hammer when he's pissed." She continued, not listening to Don. "I probably should start making more then."

_**Ah, the life an artist with a violent and sadistic mind.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/n: I thank you to those who reviewed. And yes, I agree with you 'Guest'. This story does need a few more reviews and it was a great morale boost. **

**And now, the plot finally moves forward!**

"Great." Don sighed in irritation. "How are we going to get past this firewall? It's a spider helix coding system. It takes hours just to get through and by then the people who set up the system will have known of our infiltration and be tracking down out location."

Leo let out a puff of air and pondered for a moment. They were trying to get into the government's systems to find out more of the project that Vanessa was supposed to be in. And since they had nothing really to go off on, it was time for some snooping. Vanessa just stared at the numbers flashing on the screen like a cat. Totally spazing out.

"It's bad enough that we have that Bishop guy on our tail." Mikey pointed out. "Do ya think if we get caught, he'll actually be able to find us?"

"The odds _are_ against us." Leo admitted.

"Hey, Six?" Vanessa said out of the blue. "Wanna try hacking into the government?"

Like a million pieces of small cubes forming into a person, right behind the teen was another one of her 'creations'. Her skin was a pale gray and most of her body was covered in a black suit with blue, almost glowing, armor. Her hair was a dull blond that look more like wires coming out of her head. And her headpiece had a diamond shaped object in the middle. Six's bright digital blue eyes shined with excitement.

"What kind of coding network are we talking about?" She asked. Her voice sound like it was half synthesizer. Or like those electronic voices in songs and in Tron.

While the turtles should have already gotten used to this stuff, they still stared at Six like she was crazy. In truth, they were trying to over come their mixture of shock and surprise. Don finally managed to snap out of it and started talking tech with the digital being.

"You know how you guys keep staring like that whenever I summon one of my characters?" Vanessa asked, picking at her nails.

"What about it?" Raph asked, leaning on her chair.

"Is that the normal reaction of people who see you?"

_**No more running. I wanted to find out more of this project Biblicus said I was a part of. But of course I was clueless to what it was called or anything about it aside from the fact that it was to use kids for weapon projects. You know, like how Captain America was used in the- Fuck. I got off track... well, since I've been getting better at bringing my characters to life, I've been using the ones whose skills best suit a situation. Yes, that means that I haven't been making the turtles hang around Punisher all the time anymore. They've got Jook instead.**_

"Yer a smart-ass sometimes, ya know that?" Raph poked Vanessa with his finger.

"Do you want to play with Jook again?" She teased.

"_Please_ don't bring him out." Six actually pleaded. "I only want to deal with him inside your head, not out here too." She turned back to the computer she and Don were working with.

"How long is that going to take to hack, Don?" Leo asked, arms folded across his chest.

"I dunno, Leo. An hour or so- is that the data files?" Don exclaimed, leaning forward in chair.

"Yeah, I'm currently downloading it into my own database for future reference." Six explained, one of her arms opened up with a wire in it. She looked at Don and made a weird face. "What?"

"You hacked it in like 10 seconds."

"When you're an AI in a robot body, you know how to get back all kinds of blockades and firewalls. And we work fast."

"Things are faster in the digital world." Vanessa piped in, sticking her tongue out.

"Okay..." Don turned back to the computer and began looking through the data files. "So we're looking for a government project that involves using children to use their minds as weapons."

"If we had more information, we'd be able to track it down faster," Six sighed, her eyes scanning the screen. "But a certain _someone_ didn't seem to want to ask questions."

"I have issues!"

"And a lot of them too." Mikey snickered.

"You guys find what you can and inform us." Leo ordered. "Vanessa, time to get your training started."

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUGH, I don't wanna." She whined, slumping out of the chair and walking faster than Leo to the dojo.

"You agreed to this." The blue-banded turtle pointed out. "Don't expect to learn it over night."

"I know but I _must_ complain." She gave him a quick glare and hurried over to the middle of the dojo. She tossed her hat to the sidelines like a Frisbee and got in the proper defensive stance. "Now let's get this over with."

Leo smiled as he himself got into a fighting stance and faced his pupil. He may be a student himself but he felt accomplished to be teaching someone else the art of ninjitsu.

"Let's begin."

...

Don looked in small horror at what he was reading. Six was beside him, covering her mouth and eyes widen with shock. Well, they found the project Vanessa was apparently a part of. And instantly felt sorry for her.

The MetaCog Project was exactly as it seemed. A way to harness the brain's potential as a weapon. There were different divisions that the recruits were put in, depending on what their brain could do. It was a selective and very careful process. The thing was, most of their recruits were children. And the beginning stages were horrifying.

"Oh my dear Creator." Six whispered as she read on with pain. "How could they-"

"People will do anything for knowledge and for what they want." Don said somberly. "At any price."

The government would send out scanners and find for those had unique brainwaves. Then things became a little more barbaric or plain wrong. Children were bought from their families and taken to one of the few facilities in the nation. Some were kidnapped from their homes and witnesses were kept quiet. And in Vanessa's case...

"How do we do this?" Don asked himself more than Six.

"What's up guys." April said as she walked over. She eyed Six for a moment and shrugged it off before sitting in the chair close to Don. Then she saw their expressions. "Something wrong?"

"Absolutely! Just barbaric and-" She growled in anger and started speaking in binary. It was probably better that she did to avoid the long string of curses she could say.

"We hacked in the government and found the project Vanessa's a part of." Don explained. "But we also found out some things that should best be left unknown."

"What?" April asked. _I'm not liking where this is going..._

"They killed her parents!" Six shouted in anger. "And payed for her foster care to come to New York and closer to one of their own operatives."

...

Vanessa fell on her ass hard. But she had no time to whine as Leo's attacks kept coming. She rolled to the side and got to her feet in an instant. But not fast enough as the turtle came with another wave of attacks. The teen mostly resorted to dodging and evading. She took a few hits every once in a while and managed to block and counter a few. But not once had she been able to actually lay a good hit on Leo.

"Move faster on your feet." He instructed. "You're starting to slow."

She did her best. Gave it her all. Pushed past her limits when Leo told her to say when she's tired. But she didn't see the flying green fist that came into contact with her jaw. Vanessa fell back and just stayed on the ground, catching her breath. A hand was offered before her and it took the teen a few moments to actually sit up and take it.

"You keep pushing yourself past your limits." Said an older voice. Vanessa whipped her head to see Splinter in the corner. He had watched the entire thing. "It is one thing to try your best as it is another to strain yourself."

"Eh, sorry." She said sheepishly.

"You do not need to apologize so much." The elderly rat said as he walked over to the two. "It is an error that can be fixed with the right amount of discipline. And you are still training in the art of the ninja."

"But anyone with the right sight could see you were straining yourself." Leo then explained. "Your movements were slow and your breathing was heavier."

"Sorry."

"Quit saying sorry so much." Leo scolded. "You made a mistake and that's alright."

"To become and excellent fighter, you must learn from your errors." Splinter said. "You must also find your strengths and weaknesses."

"I have an idea of what those are." She huffed. "Damn dogs."

Both Leo and Splinter couldn't help but laugh at her statement. She still had the scar from the dog bite on her leg and it healed up pretty well. But it made it clear that her fear of the canines would pose a problem.

"Yes, fear is something we all cannot escape easily." The ninja master continued. "Even those like Raphael and Leonardo have fears that they have trouble overcoming."

"Oh really?" A evil grin came to her face but quickly went away. Both Leo and Splinter were giving her a stern look. "Sorry."

"Take a break and get some water." Leo instructed. "You're looking a little pale."

"Oh ha ha. Mind your own business, Fearless. Don't have to remind me that I'm shark-bait." She rolled her eyes and walked out. Leo was mildly confused until then realizing what she was talking about.

"I didn't- ah, forget it." He waved it off and turned to Splinter.

"You have done well teaching her, my son." He complimented.

"I am teaching her all that you have taught me, sensei." The blue-banded turtle bowed respectfully. "But I am not as good as you are."

"And that is because you are still learning yourself. And while the master may teach the student, the student can also teach the master."

"How?"

"It is something that cannot be explained through words but through action." Splinter dipped his head. "As you and your brothers have taught me many things as I have taught you things."

The sound of glass shattering had the both of them on guard. It was from the kitchen. Leo was first one out the dojo to see Vanessa standing in the living room with a dumbfounded look on her face. Not too far from her were Six, Don, and April, who Leo didn't know was here. All of them had apologetic looks on their faces. Splinter appeared behind his eldest and began examining the scenario too.

"Vanessa?" Six was the first to speak, taking a step forward. Vanessa took a step back. By this time, Raph and Mikey had come to see what was going on.

"They were payed to send me to another home?" The words were like venom. All kinds of emotions were flowing through her like a tsunami. "They killed my parents?"

_**Words cannot describe what I felt at that moment. Rage was mostly going through my head at the influence of my creations. But there was also true sadness. I hate to have told you what really happened this way but there are things that can't stay secrets forever. My timing was just perfect as I was walking across the living room to hear Six-6 shout that. Our parents didn't go missing. They were assassinated and disposed of. Just to get to me...**_

"THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS!" Vanessa screamed at the top of her lungs, tears falling down her cheeks.

Six wasn't able to say anything else as she disappeared the same way she came. The room began to grow cold as everything became black. Black smoke swirled around Vanessa, obscuring her face. Everything felt like it was closing in on them.

_Didn't I tell you something was amiss?_

Leo looked around for the origin of the voice but nothing was seen. Wait! Something dark took form and wrapped itself around Vanessa, caressing her in a way a mother would comfort her child. The shape appeared feminine and it was tall!

_You should really listen to me more often. You're too clueless for your own good._

"Just leave me alone." Vanessa whimpered. Her response was a sour laugh.

Leo wasn't sure what was going on but that dark figure was starting to get on his nerves. But he couldn't get a closer look. His legs felt heavy and his body just didn't want to move.

_You're never alone, my dear child. I am a part of you. As are the creatures you can now 'animate' into existence. You'll never get to be alone anymore. _

"Get the _fuck _out of my head!" She shouted, clutching her head and dropping to her knees. "Just leave me alone..."

_Did you not just hear what I said, human? We are a part of you like your thoughts and desires. You _can't_ get rid of us! _

_**Heiress. That is the name I gave her. A true bitch. And the worse thing about her...**_

_**She is me.**_

"Just what the hell is going on?" Raph said, looking towards Leo and Splinter.

"Inner strife." The elder rat said plainly. "We all experience it when we are at our lowest or when we go through great pain. It is a difficult battle, for anything can happen. One small thing can though everything out of balance. It takes a great deal of will to over come these battles."

Vanessa let her hands fall down from her head and firmly grab at the ground. The dark shadow circled around her like a lion stalking its prey.

"**Leave. NOW!**" Vanessa shouted, many other voices combined with her hers.

The dark figure backed away in a surprised manner. She growled but submitted and nodded at the teen, who was now getting to her feet.

_As my _mistress_ commands. But as Punisher would say 'We are far from over'._

The room lit up and the smoke and shadows disappeared. Leo took a step forward, relieved he could walk now. Vanessa was still on her knees, hair covering her face. April walked over to her cautiously and stopped in front. The mutants just gathered around in a circle, unsure of how to comfort her.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked finally. Vanessa barely looked up at him through her hair. Her eyes had no pupils!

"Far from it." Her voice was void of emotion. "I'll never be okay..."

_**Never...**_

**A/n: And thus, the project is somewhat revealed. Now things start to get a bit more... don't know the word for it. Shit just gets real.**

**~Predninja out!**


	10. Chapter 10

"NO!" Vanessa screamed.

She sat up quickly, trying to run away from the nightmare that had plagued her. Her breathing was unsteady and sweat dripped from her skin. Once she had calmed herself down, Vanessa got up from her bed and left her room.

...

Splinter walked to the kitchen for his morning tea when he saw his son's student sleeping at the kitchen table. He smiled momentarily before deciding to wake her up. And he was definitely prepared for a slap, should one come. But the moment the old rat placed a hand on her shoulder, she sat up with a start.

"Huh? Splinter?" Vanessa looked around warily.

"Is everything alright, miss Hosek?" Splinter asked, slight amusement in his voice.

"Uh..." She dragged out her response. "I had a nightmare." Her face changed. "It was... slightly disturbing."

"How so?"

Vanessa looked around if there was anyone else. It was still early in the morning so there wouldn't be a soul up until later. But that didn't mean the teen wanted to take any chances.

"Can it be in private?"

_**Nightmares are rare for me. But they are very disturbing and scarring for me. And this one put me on edge. It's been three days since the **_**incident****_ and so far, my eyes have lost their pupils, I keep hearing voices in my head. Things are never going to be the same for me._**

_**So here I am, remembering the dream that will haunt me.**_

"You could not recognize who it was?" Splinter asked after listening to the entire nightmare.

"No." She kept her head down. "But the dream still scared me." She pulled her knees close. "I just hope it stays a dream."

"Our dreams are messages to us from our spirit." The mutant rat said. "Nightmares are simply warnings of what may come. Premonitions to our future."

"So you mean..." Vanessa trailed off, not wanting to complete her sentence.

"It _is_ a possibility but it doesn't mean it could be one of my sons."

"Okay... thank you, Master Splinter." She bowed her head and started up. "Might as well get dressed. Can never fall asleep easily."

"Do not push yourself too hard today during training." The elder rat said.

"Hm?" She stopped at the doorway and turned to the elder. "What do you mean?"

"You have been over extending your body past it's limits. And many times, both me and Leonardo have told you not to."

"I- uh, sorry." She rubbed the back of her head.

"Don't apologize too much."

"Still working on that." She muttered.

Splinter chuckled as her remark while she left the room. Her nightmare concerned him. And made him worry for his sons.

It had started off with her speaking with one of the turtles. She didn't remember which one it was or even what they were talking about but it had made her blush slightly. But as they kept talking, things started to feel wrong. And then the turtle grabbed Vanessa from behind, breathing down her neck. She had felt very exposed and open as the turtle began touching her.

Vanessa had woken up before things could have gotten worse. She was half way across the kitchen when she saw Leo. He was making himself breakfast by the time he saw the teen. He smiled at her and she returned a somewhat shy one. Then she remembered she was in her pajamas. Which was made up of baggy shorts and a tight long sleeve shirt. It seemed Leo noticed too as his face was starting to turn red.

"Mornin'." He said, looking away.

"Yeah, I'll be getting dressed." She said as she rushed to her room.

...

Splinter was having a discussion with his sons in his study so Vanessa was left to do whatever. In other words, it was her day off until further notice. But being as how she was used to being trained constantly by Leo, rest didn't come to her. Frustrated, she got up off the couch and headed to the dojo. She didn't know why but being in here made Vanessa feel... she didn't know how to describe it. She just felt good.

"How are you fare this day, Mistress?"

Vanessa hadn't even started warming up but nonetheless, she turned around. Standing with her head held high was the Queen of Suites. The skirt part of her dress flowed freely while her upper torso area was skin tight. Past her elbows, her sleeves were wide and open but closed near the wrist. The design and coloring of the dress resembled a jester outfit with red, black, and white. Her mask too was red and black and had the individual suits of cards. In her hair was a five pointed crown that seemed to be growing from her head. Her hair was like a mixture of raspberry and light chocolate. And the Queen's eyes were her most unique feature since they were square shaped.

The name matched. Even though the teen had apparently misspelled her name, she could care less. She liked it and it was staying. Spelling error and all.

"Why are you even asking?" Vanessa snapped back, rolling her eyes and returning to warming up.

"You seem... different." She explained. "All of us has noticed this change and it's somewhat unsettling."

"I'm just being more honest about who I am, that's all." The teen replied back, stretching her legs out.

"You've become more harsh. And almost evil." The queen said bluntly. "You're giving in to those that want freedom and are corrupt. Which is through you."

"Anything else?" Venom dripped from her words.

"Not without offending you, Mistress." She returned with a curt tone. "I just bring warning."

"Can you bring me some peace too? From all these voices and thoughts? They won't leave me alone."

"That would be those seeking freedom. They are trying to persuade you."

"Remind me not to try and make so many fucked up characters."

"I will try my best." Queen of Suites said with some amusement in her voice. "Is there anything else you request of me?"

"Now that you mention it..."

…

Vanessa, Suites, and a black suited ninja with a sleek black helmet called Phantom watched as the facility burned before them. It was the afternoon and there were already officials dealing with the issue. Both the queen and the assassin exchanged a silent conversation while their 'Mistress' watch the building burn with hard eyes.

Phantom wore a black suit, yes, but he had plenty of gear that differed him from other ninja. He wore the basics of armor; gauntlets, knee and elbow pads, greaves, and even some shoulder armor. On his back was a strange back pack shaped like a shell and harder than one that had all kinds of gizmos in it. On his belt were twin pistols and the hilt to an energy sword. The best thing about Phantom was her was quiet. Which was also the worst thing if you were an enemy.

"Let's go." Vanessa said after a while. "We don't wanna get caught."

_**Do I regret killing a bunch of people responsible for destroying lives or erasing all the data they had there and taking for myself? Fuck no! In fact, I couldn't wait for the next little outing. Yeah, I started to become a little more demonic. So what? If you ever were in my position, you'd feel the same. And because nothing in life is fair, there's always getting even that helps.**_


End file.
